Salade de Poulet rôti et pois chiches
French markets are pure joy for the senses: the dairy stalls with their impressive varieties of cheeses, straight from the farm and one more tempting than the next; the butchers with their thick, rustic hams and sausages enticingly dangling from above; the rainbow displays of fruits and vegetables that mirror the seasons; and of course, the stalls selling a selection of gourmet products such as jams, vinegars, olives and wine. It’s hard to visit a French market and not leave without a whole lot of inspiration — not to mention a basket nearly bursting at the seams. Cooking and eating well is an art in France, and one of the reasons for that is the availability of excellent products.
I came up with this easy salad recipe after buying a roast chicken at the market in Duras one Monday morning. This lovely and ancient little town (founded by the English during the 100 Years War) is located in the Lot-et-Garonne area, Aquitaine, southwest France. They are always so hard to resist. You’ll see them slowly roasting on a spit, and with each turn, becoming as succulent and golden as ever. That afternoon, we ate half of it with a side of potatoes (roasted directly under the chickens). Here’s what I did with the leftovers. A delicious dish of roast chicken and chick peas: Salade de Poulet rôti et pois chiches.You won’t need much to serve with this. Except a smooth glass of Merlot, of course.
Ingredients for 4 servings
½ a roast chicken
2 cans of chickpeas (400g per can)
1 bunch of parsley, chopped
3 spring onions, chopped
4-5 tbsps capers
two handfuls of cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered, depending on their size
juice of half a lemon
50ml extra virgin olive oil
fleur de sel and freshly-ground pepper, to taste
Method:
Pluck the meat from the roast chicken and put it in a large bowl.
Rinse the chick peas with cold running water and drain well.
Put them in the bowl with the chicken.
Add the parsley, spring onions, capers and cherry tomatoes.
Make a dressing by whisking the lemon juice with the olive oil and salt and pepper.
Pour the dressing over the ingredients in the bowl and stir carefully to combine.
Serve, savour and swoon!
Paola, Queen of French Cuisine!
Paola Westbeek is a food, wine and travel writer with a good dose of joie de vivre. She is passionate about French cooking, old-fashioned chansons, Rembrandt and life. Paola is available for all kinds of recipe development, food and wine writing, and culinary advice. For more information visit: inmylife-paola.blogspot.com, Twitter @la_douce_vie
