Chicken Nicoise
- 1/2 cup white wine vinegar or cider vinegar
- 1 rounded tablespoon superfine sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon Kosher salt
- 1 red onion, very thinly sliced
- For the salad: 1 pound green beans, trimmed
- Salt
- 1 1/2 pounds small, baby gold or white potatoes
- 4 large eggs
- 2 pieces of boneless, skinless chicken breast
- Pepper
- 2 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 hearts or 1 large head Romaine lettuce, coarsely shredded
- 2 vine tomatoes, cored and halved then thinly sliced
- 1 packed cup pitted Niçoise olives
- 1/2 cup drained cornichons
- 1/4 cup white wine or cider vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, pasted
- 1 large shallot, finely chopped
- 1 lemon
- 1 rounded tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- About 1/2 cup EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried Herbes de Provence
- Salt and pepper
For the pickles, whisk together vinegar, sugar and salt until dissolved, about 1 minute. Add onions and let stand until ready to serve or store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Bring a pot of water to a boil, add green beans and salt, boil 1 minute, then remove beans with a skimmer or spider to an ice bath. Drain and chop beans into thirds. Add whole potatoes to boiling water and cook to just fork-tender but still a bit firm, 8-10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and let cool to handle; thinly slice 1/4-inch thick.
Halve chicken breasts horizontally and pound each piece to 1/8-inch thick. Season with salt and pepper then sauté cutlets in EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, in a large skillet over medium-high heat for about 6-7 minutes, until browned and cooked through, turning occasionally. Remove to a cutting board and slice cutlets into thin strips across the breast on a bias.
On four large plates, arrange a bed of lettuce and top with piles of sliced chicken, tomatoes, olives, potatoes, beans, hard-boiled eggs, pickled onions and cornichons.
Whisk up dressing ingredients and stream in EVOO. Spoon dressing evenly over salads and serve with a warm baguette and good butter alongside.