Spring Chicken Niçoise Recipes

CHICKEN NIçOISE

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 cup of the wine to boiling in 10-inch nonstick skillet. Cook chicken in wine, turning once, until brown. Remove chicken from skillet; keep warm.
• Add garlic, onions, Italian seasoning, bell peppers, olives and remaining 1 cup wine to skillet. Heat to boiling; boil 5 minutes.
• Add chicken to skillet; reduce heat to medium. Cook 10 to 15 minutes or until juice is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut. Serve over rice.

CHICKEN NIçOISE

Steps:

• Remove any visible fat from chicken. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat 1/4 cup of the wine to boiling. Add chicken; cook, turning once, until brown. Remove chicken from skillet; keep warm.
• In same skillet, heat bell peppers, olives, garlic, onions, Italian seasoning, and remaining 1 cup wine to boiling. Boil 5 minutes.
• Add chicken; reduce heat to medium. Cook 10 to 15 minutes or until juice of chicken is no longer pink when center of thickest piece is cut (170°F for breasts; 180°F for thighs). Serve over rice.

CHICKEN PICCATA WITH NIçOISE OLIVES

Steps:

• In a large sieve rinse olives and drain well. Pit olives and cut into slivers. With a sharp knife butterfly each chicken breast half by horizontally cutting through meat, keeping 1 long side intact, and opening like a book. With a rolling pin lightly pound chicken between sheets of plastic wrap to about 1/8 inch thick. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper.
• In a 12-inch heavy skillet heat oil and 2 tablespoons butter over moderately high heat until foam subsides and sauté chicken, 1 piece at a time, until golden and just cooked through, about 30 seconds on each side. Transfer chicken as sautéed with tongs to a platter and keep warm, loosely covered with foil.
• Pour off any fat in skillet. Add wine and deglaze skillet over moderately high heat, scraping up brown bits. Stir in lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons butter and heat sauce, swirling skillet, until butter is just incorporated. Remove skillet from heat and stir in olives, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Spoon sauce over chicken.

CHICKEN NICOISE SALAD

Steps:

• Add the potatoes to a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon (let the water continue to boil) and let cool slightly.
• Prepare an ice water bath. Add the haricot verts to the boiling water, blanch briefly and transfer to the water bath to stop the cooking process. Drain, then cut into 2-inch pieces. Slice the potatoes 1/4 inch thick.
• Arrange the lettuce on a platter. Top with separate mounds of the potatoes, haricot verts, tomatoes, eggs and chicken, then drizzle with the Mustard Vinaigrette. Season all with salt and pepper. Garnish with the olives.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic and shallot. Whisk until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.

SALADE NICOISE

Steps:

• Heat a well-seasoned grill pan over high heat.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, shallot, anchovy paste, and capers. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl. Set aside. Place eggs in a medium saucepan and cover with several inches of cold water. Place the pan, uncovered, over high heat, stirring occasionally, until just before the water comes to a boil. Cover, turn off the heat, and cook for 12 minutes. Immediately transfer the eggs with a slotted spoon to ice bath. Let cool completely, about 5 minutes. Pat dry, one egg at a time; peel and halve. Set aside.
• Prepare an ice bath. Fill a medium saucepan with salted water and bring to a boil. Cook haricots verts until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Immediately transfer beans, with slotted spoon, to ice bath. Drain well and pat dry. Drizzle with rice wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Prepare an ice bath. Place potatoes in medium-sized pot. Cover with cold salted water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Cook until fork-tender, about 8 minutes. Immediately transfer potatoes with slotted spoon to ice bath. Drain well and pat dry. Cut in half lengthwise. Drizzle with vermouth. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Toss lettuces with some of the anchovy-caper dressing and place on large serving platter. Toss potatoes, haricots verts, and cherry tomatoes separately with dressing and arrange over lettuce.
• Arrange tuna over salad and drizzle with dressing. Garnish salad with eggs and Nicoise olives.

CHICKEN SALAD NIçOISE

Steps:

• Place potatoes in a saucepan with salted water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Drain and cool potatoes, then peel and cut into thin wedges. Meanwhile, cook green beans in a small saucepan of boiling salted water until tender but crisp, about 5 to 7 minutes. Pour into a strainer, run under cold water and then pat dry. For the salad dressing, combine garlic, mustard, basil and lemon juice in a small bowl. Whisk in oil a little at a time until well mixed, and season with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, combine chicken, potatoes, green beans, carrots, red pepper, onion, olives, capers and fresh herbs. Toss with dressing. Garnish with egg and tomato wedges. If desired, serve on lettuce-lined plates.