Salad Olivieh
سالاد الویه·(sālād olivyeh)
What Maman Packed: The Nostalgic Lunchbox
A Tupperware container sits packed with leftover chicken, boiled potatoes, and sharp Persian pickles, all bound by mayonnaise. It is tempting to dump everything into a food processor. Don't do that. Homestyle cooking relies on structural discipline. We poach the chicken with turmeric to kill the gamey odor, physically wring the brine out of the diced pickles, and use the golden poaching broth to thin the dressing. The kitchen smells of warm turmeric and sharp brine. Stuff a thick layer into a pocket of pita and pack it for the road.
Before you start
Prepare an ice bath in advance.
Having a bowl of ice water ready before you boil the eggs ensures you can halt the cooking process immediately, preserving the perfect texture of the yolk.
Ingredients
- Yukon Gold potatoes1 1/2 lb
- eggs4 large
- bone-in skin-on chicken breast1 large
- yellow onion1 small
- bay leaf1 med
- ground turmeric1/2 tsp
- kosher salt1/2 tsp
- black pepper1/4 tsp
- carrots2 med
- Persian cucumber pickles1 1/2 cup
- frozen sweet peas1 cup
- full-fat mayonnaise1 cup
- plain Greek yogurt2 tbsp
- fresh lemon juice1 tbsp
- Dijon mustard1 tsp
Method
- 01
Eradicate the gamey poultry odor by poaching the chicken with aromatics.
Submerge the chicken breast in a medium pot of cold water with the onion, bay leaf, turmeric, half teaspoon of salt, and a quarter teaspoon of black pepper, then simmer for 35 to 40 minutes.
- 02
Strain the culinary gold that is the poaching liquid.
Reserve exactly a quarter cup of the golden broth for your dressing, then let the chicken cool before discarding the skin and bones to meticulously shred the meat by hand.
- 03
Cook the potatoes and carrots just until tender, maintaining their structural integrity.
Boil the unpeeled potatoes and peeled carrots in a large pot until a fork pierces them with slight resistance, taking care not to turn them into waterlogged mush.
- 04
Hard-boil the eggs and shock them in an ice bath.
Boil them for exactly ten minutes, then immediately plunge them into ice water to prevent gray rings and halt the sulfurous aroma.
- 05
Meticulously process your ingredients, resisting the urge to grate the wet vegetables.
Peel and mash the cooled potatoes and finely dice the eggs and carrots. It is absolutely critical that the pickles are diced uniformly and squeezed firmly to extract excess brine so they do not destroy your emulsion.
- 06
Blanch the peas briefly to preserve their bright vegetal pop.
Boil the frozen peas for two minutes, then drain and run under cold water.
- 07
Whisk the emulsion together, using the reserved broth to thin the mayonnaise.
Combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice, mustard, black pepper, and the room-temperature chicken broth until it achieves a silky, highly coatable consistency.
- 08
Fold everything together and exercise patience while the salad matures.
Toss the dry ingredients with the sauce in a massive mixing bowl, season carefully with salt to balance the brininess of the pickles, and refrigerate tightly covered for at least two hours so the starches properly absorb the flavors.
Notes
The Weeknight Shortcut.
If poaching a chicken is asking too much on a Tuesday, substitute two and a half cups of hand-shredded rotisserie chicken breast. Use a quarter cup of high-quality commercial bone broth warmed with a pinch of turmeric and onion powder to thin your dressing.
Respect the pickle.
Persian cucumber pickles provide the crucial salty, tangy crunch that defines this dish. If you cannot find them, use Polish brined cucumbers, but under no circumstances should you ever introduce sweet American relish to this salad.
From Cook Persian in America.