I have included the colours red, white and blue with red apples, chicken and blueberries to elevate the culinary experience to a royal one. The ingredients make the dish an ideal buffet main course.
Preparation time: 25 minutes plus 15 minutes cooling
Cooking time: 2 hours
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
1 chicken (2.5kg) or 6 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 lemon, sliced
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
150ml chicken stock or water
2 large red-skinned apples
1 lemon
2 tbsp fresh mint, roughly chopped
4 baby gem lettuces, quartered lengthways and chopped into chunks
For the curry mayonnaise:
1 tsp mild curry powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cinnamon
200g mayonnaise
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the garnish:
50g toasted flaked almonds
100g blueberries
75g pomegranate seeds
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Place the lemon slices and garlic under the skin of the breast part of the chicken.
Season well.
Put the chicken into an ovenware dish. Pour over the stock or water. Cover with foil and roast for 1 hour 45 minutes or until cooked or for the chicken breasts cook covered for about 35 minutes.
Stir together the curry mayonnaise ingredients. Season to taste.
When the chicken is cooked and cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bone and shred into strips.
Quarter and core the apples. Cut each wedge into 3 chunks. Squeeze over some lemon juice and toss to coat.
Combine the apples, mint, chopped baby gem with the chicken.
Stir the mayonnaise into the salad and gently mix to coat the ingredients.
Pile onto a platter and garnish with the pomegranate seeds, blueberries and almonds.
