Curried Chicken & Bow Tie Pasta Salad
Submitted by Danas
Curried chicken and bow tie pasta salad with a homemade curry mayonnaise, tri-color bell peppers, and poached chicken on a bed of fresh spinach. An impressive main-course salad.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
50 minREADY
70 minThis isn’t your average potluck pasta salad. It’s a three-part production: poached chicken, a concentrated curry flavoring, and a lush curry mayonnaise that ties everything together.
The chicken poaches gently with aromatics until tender and moist, then gets shredded and tossed with bow tie pasta and colorful strips of green, red, and yellow bell pepper.
The curry mayo is where the magic lives. Curry powder cooks with onion and white wine until reduced to a potent concentrate, which then gets folded into mayonnaise for a dressing with real depth.
Served on fresh spinach leaves with confetti-bright peppers scattered on top, it’s a showstopper for a summer lunch or dinner party.
Chef Tips
- Cool the chicken in its poaching liquid. Pulling it out hot dries out the meat. Resting in the broth keeps it juicy and adds even more flavor.
- Cook the curry-wine reduction until you have just 3 tablespoons. That concentrated paste gives the mayo a deep, toasted curry flavor that plain curry powder can’t match.
- Assemble right before serving. The mayonnaise dulls in color as it sits, and the pasta can soak up too much dressing if dressed too early.
Ingredients
Directions
Poach chicken by placing in a large pot with enough cold water to barely cover.
Add peppercorns, bay leaf, parsley, thyme and one each: onion, carrot and celery cut into quarters.
Bring to a bare boil with lid on; reduce heat to low and simmer for 50 minutes.
Cool in poaching liquid, then drain, skin and shred.
To make curry flavouring, soften diced onion in hot oil, then add curry powder and cook over medium-high heat for a further 3 minutes.
Add wine and water.
Boil rapidly until reduced to about 3 tablespoons.
Strain and let cool.
Prepare curry mayonnaise by combining all ingredients until smooth.
Place peppers in a large bowl (reserving a little for garnish), with chicken, pasta, salt, pepper and curry mayonnaise.
Mix gently until well- coated.
If mayonnaise mixture is too thick, add warm water gradually until a smooth consistency is attained.
Place a portion of salad on bed of spinach and sprinkle reserved peppers on top.
Assemble just before serving, as the mayonnaise quickly loses its fresh look.
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