The Good Life France Magazine September/October 2015 | Page 109

RECIPE

Ingredients:

800g chicken breasts, skinned

and boned

1 vegetable stock cube

(court-bouillon cube)

1 litre water

250ml white wine (optional)

150g fresh goat’s cheese

(discard any rind)

Fresh thyme (2 sprigs)

1 -2 garlic cloves, peeled and

crushed

Fresh ground black pepper, to

taste

Salt, to taste

4 tinned/canned artichoke

hearts, diced

80g almonds, slivered and

toasted

2 tablespoons pumpkin oil or 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

1. Gently poach the chicken breasts in a saucepan with the water, into which the court-bouillon cube has been dissolved. Poach them over a low to medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes, then turn off the heat, cover the saucepan with a lid and allow to cool in the liquid for about 30 to 45 minutes. (You can add a little white wine to the water if you wish, reduce the amount of water to 750ml and add 250ml of white wine)

2. Once cool enough to handle, drain and cut the chicken into small bite sized pieces.

3. In a bowl, crush the fresh chèvre (goat’s cheese) with a fork, until roughly crumbled with the leaves from the fresh thyme sprigs. Add the black pepper, salt and garlic to taste. Mix gently. Then add the chicken pieces , chopped artichoke hearts and toasted slivered almonds. Mix gently before adding the oil.

4. Decant the chicken salad into a clean/sterile glass jar, such as a Kilner jar, which has an airtight lid.

5. Seal with the lid before storing in the fridge until needed, for up to 1 to 2 days. Turn the jar upside down a few times throughout the day making sure that the oil covers the chicken.