Persian Chicken Salad

By cushey27

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked brown rice, couscous, quinoa etc
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 4)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup lime juice (from about 2 limes)
• 4 carrots, grated
• 2 cucumbers, peeled, halved, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 2 ribs celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 cup frozen petite peas, thawed
• 1 red onion, chopped fine
• 1/2 cup Kalamata or other black olives, halved and pitted
• 1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or parsley

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from foodandwine.com

Preparation

Step 1

Prepare rice as directed.

In a large nonstick frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderate heat. Season the chicken with 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Cook the breasts until browned and just done, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and let it cool. Cut into 1/2-inch chunks.

In a large glass or stainless-steel bowl, whisk together the yogurt, mayonnaise, mustard, lime juice, and the remaining 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add the rice, chicken, carrots, cucumbers, celery, peas, onion, olives, parsley, and basil and toss.