The Spice House is sponsoring today’s post. In exchange for sharing this unique #AppleWeek recipe, I received a bottle of their whole pink peppercorns and a bag of their dried curry leaves. All thoughts, ideas, recipes, pictures, and general silliness contained within this post are solely my own and not necessarily that of the sponsor. CLICK HERE to learn more about The Spice House or CLICK HERE to enter the amazing #AppleWeek Giveaway.
It’s Saturday, and it’s also the last day of #AppleWeek. Thank goodness. I know, I know, I love apples too but after you’ve been working with them for over two months, you kind of get to the point where the sight of an apple literally makes you want to scream. Thankfully, this last recipe is probably the easiest ones I’ve shared all week. So, we’ll get this over with quick, shall we?
First, let’s talk about pink peppercorns. They’re not actual pepper, they’re a fruity berry. Not only do they look pretty, but they also have a delicate and fruity slightly peppery flavor. So, if you’re making this recipe and try to swap in freshly ground black pepper, you’re not going to be eating the same chicken salad. Seriously y’all, buy the pink peppercorns. They’re worth the splurge.
Next, let’s have a little chat about dried curry leaves. They’re an odd little thing and taste nothing like curry. The closest comparison I can make is that they are somewhat similar to dried bay leaves. They have a subtle smoky and earthy flavor, and when they are sautéed in olive oil, that flavor comes out a little bit more. So don’t miss that step in this recipe by just throwing them into the poaching liquid.
Finally, this chicken salad isn’t like most other chicken salads. The apple to chicken ration is pretty much 50/50, making it the perfect recipe to use when you’ve got a lot of fall apples hanging around in your kitchen. Also, it’s not drenched in mayonnaise like most other chicken salads. There’s just enough mayonnaise and apple cider vinegar to help give flavor and bring everything together without making you feel super guilty for eating it.
So, there you have it. The last #AppleWeek recipe. Now, that it’s over, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief and sit back for a moment or two and enjoy the lovely fall weather. I hope you’ll choose not to be offended if I don’t spend any of this next month or two in my kitchen baking an apple pie or making homemade applesauce. Y’all, it just ain’t gonna happen. For now, I’m completely “appled” out. Next up, chocolate and freaky fruit. Oh, what a life I lead.
Ingredients:
Crockpot Chicken:
- 1/2 Cup Dried Curry Leaves
- 2 Tablespoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (Approximately 1 1/2 Pounds Chicken)
- 1 Tablespoon Whole Pink Peppercorns
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Sea Salt
- 8 Cups Cold Water
Chicken Salad:
- 1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Pink Peppercorns (Additional for Garnish)
- 1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 2 Apples, Cored & Diced
Directions:
Crockpot Chicken:
- Sauté the curry leaves and olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring often.
- Place the chicken in the bottom of a crockpot and then sprinkle it with the whole peppercorns and sea salt.
- Cover with water, and then add the curry leaves and remaining olive oil from the skillet the curry leaves were cooked in.
- Cook for 4 hours on high.
- Remove the chicken from the cooking liquid and discard any peppercorns or curry leaves that may be attached to it. Cover with foil and allow to rest for 30 minutes before chopping or shredding.
Chicken Salad:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, ground peppercorns, and salt.
- Fold in the diced apples and the chopped or shredded chicken breasts.
- Garnish with additional ground pink peppercorns.
Suggestions:
- You can use normal finely ground black pepper in this recipe if you choose, however, the chicken salad will not have same the flavor, pink peppercorns are way more subtle than black peppercorns.
- If you don’t have dried curry leaves, you can replace them with four dried bay leaves. It’s not exactly the same flavor, however, it is similar.
- Allowing the chicken to rest before chopping or shredding it, helps to ensure that the chicken will not immediately absorb all of the mayonnaise and apple cider vinegar. This chicken salad is not drenched with mayonnaise, it’s meant to be very light and refreshing.
Improvements:
- Add 1/2-cup of roughly chopped pecans to the chicken salad.
- Serve on a sandwich with Havarti or White Cheddar cheese slices.
- Try replacing the apples in this recipe with pears.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Cup Dried Curry Leaves
- 2 Tablespoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (Approximately 1 1/2 Pounds Chicken)
- 1 Tablespoon Whole Pink Peppercorns
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Sea Salt
- 8 Cups Cold Water
- 1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Pink Peppercorns (Additional for Garnish)
- 1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 2 Apples, Cored & Diced
Directions:
- Sauté the curry leaves and olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring often.
- Place the chicken in the bottom of a crockpot and then sprinkle it with the whole peppercorns and sea salt.
- Cover with water, and then add the curry leaves and remaining olive oil from the skillet the curry leaves were cooked in.
- Cook for 4 hours on high.
- Remove the chicken from the cooking liquid and discard any peppercorns or curry leaves that may be attached to it. Cover with foil and allow to rest for 30 minutes before chopping or shredding.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, ground peppercorns, and salt.
- Fold in the diced apples and the chopped or shredded chicken breasts.
- Garnish with additional ground pink peppercorns.
PIN THIS RECIPE
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Make sure to check out all of the other great #AppleWeek recipes below.
- Apple Bourbon Pork Tenderloin with Butternut Squash by Girl Abroad
- Apple Butter Cheesecake Tart by Soulfully Made
- Apple Cheesecake Breakfast Quesadillas by 4 Sons R Us
- Apple Cinnamon Cake by Kate’s Recipe Box
- Apple Cider Spiced Donut Cake by Love and Confections
- Apple Cinnamon Oat Bars by Daily Dish Recipes
- Apple Crisp Breakfast Bowl by Shockingly Delicious
- Apple Fennel and Beet Salad by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Apple Hand Pies with an Oatmeal Crust by The Freshman Cook
- Apple Nachos by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
- Apple Peanut Butter Ebelskivers by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Apple Tortas Fritas (Argentinean Fry Bread with Apples) by Palatable Pastime
- Apple Oatmeal Pancakes by Simple and Savory
- Apple Rosette Frangipane Tart by Culinary Adventures With Camilla
- Applesauce Oatmeal Bread with Vanilla Honey Butter by Cooking with Carlee
- Caramel-Stuffed Apple Butter Snickerdoodles by The Redhead Baker
- Chicken Salad with Apples, Cranberries, and Pecans by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Cinnamon Apple Iced Oatmeal Cookies by Jonesin’ For Taste
- Harvest Apple Cakelets with Maple Drizzle by Everyday Eileen
- Pink Peppercorn & Curry Leaf Chicken Salad by Faith, Hope, Love & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
- Stuffed Apples with Cheddar and Sausage by Strawberry Blondie Kitchen
