Here is a fun tapa dish with an exciting new mix of flavors. Avoid buying large fennel bulbs, more than 4 inches, as they may be tough. I’ve chosen to serve this salad mixture on sliced cucumber, but you could also use endive or lettuce leaves as a serving vehicle for the chicken salad.
Prep Time: 30-40 Minutes, refrigerate before serving at least 20 minutes, or up to 24 hours.
Serves: Tapa Portion for Four
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons almond oil (or avocado oil)
¾ pound organically-fed, cage-free chicken breast, cut into ½-inch cubes
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small fennel bulb, finely chopped
¼ medium yellow onion, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning
3 tablespoon organic mayonnaise (ideally homemade mayo)
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup Italian parsley, chopped
1 small-medium apple, diced into ½-inch cubes
1 medium cucumber, sliced into 1/3-inch thick slices
Garnish with dried paprika powder
Directions:
Heat a sauté pan to medium-high heat; add almond oil, chicken, salt and black pepper and sauté for 4-5 minutes stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and cooked. Spoon into a bowl and set aside.
Heat the same pan to medium heat, add olive oil, then fennel, onion, salt, and Italian seasoning and sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fennel is tender. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, lemon zest and juice, parsley, and apple, then mix with sautéed chicken and fennel-onion mixture. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes or cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
To serve, spoon approximately 2 teaspoons of mixture on each slice of cucumber. Lastly, garnish with paprika.
Enjoy,
Steven Masley, MD