Chicken Persimmons Salad

Copyright 2006 by Cooking With The Single Guy

Ingredients:

1.5 lb. chicken breasts (2 pieces with skin and bones)
2 persimmons (skin peeled and diced)
1 cup celery, diced (about 3 stalks)
1 cup roasted walnuts, unsalted and unglazed
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 t dijon mustard
1 t kosher salt
1 t lemon zest
1 t lemon juice
1 t pepper
2-3 T extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Salt and pepper chicken breasts (be sure to season both sides and under the skin) and coat with olive oil. Place breasts on roasting pan and bake for about 25 minutes until cooked. Remove from oven and let cool.

In large bowl, tear strips of the chicken meat. Add celery, walnuts and persimmons. In small bowl, mix mayonnaise, mustard, salt, lemon juice and zest. Fold mixture into bowl with chicken and other ingredients, folding in as much of the mayonnaise mixture per your taste. (The juice from the persimmons will make your dish moist so you may not need as much mayonnaise.) Add pepper for taste and chill in refrigerator for about an hour.

Makes two to three servings. Serve as a sandwich or on a bed of romaine lettuce as a salad.

Pair with a glass of Chardonnay.

TIPS: I use chicken breasts with the skin and bones still on because the meat won’t dry out as fast when baked. But only use the meat in the recipe. You can substitute with thighs if you prefer dark meat or a mix of chicken pieces.

FUYU OR HACHIYA?: There are two varieties of persimmons commonly found in the United States. The fuyu is shaped like a tiny pumpkin and is best eaten when crisp like an apple. The hachiya is shaped like an acorn and is ripe when it’s soft to the touch. (Some people even like to eat it really soft, almost gelatinous.) In this recipe, I use hachiyas that are almost ripen (feels like pressing on a pin cushion instead of a ripe tomato). This way, it’s firm enough to peel the skin off with a peeler and then dice into small cubes. But unripen hachiya has an odd texture against your teeth. That’s why you should let your chicken persimmon salad refrigerate for about an hour. This allows the salt to extract some moisture and soften your persimmons so they’ll be sweet and enjoyable to eat. If you prefer the fuyu, go for it!