Overview
Recipe Name: Diamond Jubilee Lavender Chicken Salad with instructions for Aga range cookers
By: Sarah Whitaker
Prep Time: 1 Hour
Cook time: 4 hours
Makes: 5-6 portions
Description:
This is a simple but delicious recipe, via Sarah Whitaker, in honour of Her Majesty's The Queen Diamond Jubilee. By law you are required to sing the national anthem while serving it but thankfully enforcement is tricky for the Police(may not be true!). The instructions are specifically for Aga range cookers. Make it then eat it; don't freeze!
If you need help with the basics (which even is the simmering oven?!) then do see our 'Blake & Bull Beginners Guide'.
Ingredients:
1 fresh chicken of around 1.5kg. Buy the best you can afford; it will taste better, are happier birds and this is for the Queen after all!
225g fresh cherries. The season is short, don't miss it!
4 spring onions.
A bunch of watercress (if you can then buy from John Hurd. It's totally different to the rather insipid stuff in the supermarkets - extraordinary!
2 tbsp olive oil
150ml natural yoghurt (coconut yoghurt works instead if you are dairy free!)
Salt & Pepper
Fresh lavender
Method:
Cook the chicken. The super easy way is to put it into a casserole with a tight fitting lid and a chopped onion, cover and put into your Aga range cookers simmering oven for 3 hours. The speedy way is to bring a large pan of water to the boil, put in the chicken, a chopped onion, some carrots and some parsley stalks, bring back to the boil then cover and put into the simmering oven for an hour
Take the chicken from the oven and allow to cool completely
Remove the chicken from the bones and cut into 2 cm pieces
Remove the stones from the cherries and halve
Trim and slice the spring onions finely
Chop the lavender finely and then mix together
Mix the dressing and then combine with the salad
Serve on a bed of watercress and garnish with lavender flowers
