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Chicken Salad with Pine Nut Dressing
5 from 15 votes

Chicken Salad with Pine Nut Dressing

Chicken Salad with Pine Nut Dressing combines shredded poached chicken with a flavorful dressing made from toasted and ground pine nuts, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, and a touch of sugar. The salad is served over fresh greens and vegetables, offering a balance of savory, tangy, and nutty flavors with varied textures from crisp vegetables and tender chicken.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Servings: 2
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Korean

Ingredients

Pine nut dressing:
  • 4 tablespoons pine nuts
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or any clear vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon mustard paste or dijon or yellow mustard if desired, hot, gyeoja, 겨자
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic minced
  • salt about 1/2 teaspoon, to taste
Poached chicken:
  • 1 chicken breast 8 to 10 ounces
  • 1/4 onion medium
  • 1/2 celery stalk
  • 1/2 carrot
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 bay leaf optional
To serve on a bed of salad vegetables:
  • spring mix a handful
  • salad vegetables a handful
  • 2 to 3 radish thinly sliced, red
Or to toss with salad:
  • 1/4 red bell pepper julienned
  • 1/4 yellow bell pepper julienned
  • 1 kirby cucumber cut lengthwise and then thinly sliced diagonally, small

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. To make the dressing, toast the pine nuts in a pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. This will enhance the flavor. Grind the pine nuts in a blender or food processor (or finely mince them with a knife). Add the remaining dressing ingredients and blend well. Refrigerate while preparing the chicken and vegetables.
  2. In a medium size pot, bring 5 cups of water and the aromatic vegetables to a simmer over medium heat. Add the chicken breast and simmer over medium low heat for about 8 -10 minutes (increase the time if cooking more than 1 chicken breast). Remove the chicken and allow it to cool.
  3. When cool enough to handle, shred and lightly season with salt. Refrigerate while preparing vegetables. Wash salad vegetables in ice water and drain well. Cut them into desired sizes if needed.
  4. Combine the shredded chicken with the dressing, leaving a couple of tablespoons of dressing.
  5. Line the platter with the salad vegetables. Place the chicken salad in the middle. Drizzle with the remaining dressing, and garnish with a few pine nuts if available.
  6. OR thinly slice the optional vegetables and mix well with the chicken salad before serving.

Notes

  • Toast pine nuts before grinding to bring out their flavor for the dressing.
  • Poach chicken breast gently with aromatics for tender, flavorful meat that shreds easily.
  • Use fresh salad greens and crisp vegetables as a base for contrast in texture and freshness.
  • Store leftover chicken salad refrigerated for up to 4 days to keep it fresh.