Basil-Parmesan Chicken Salad
- 3 quarts water
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, tied with kitchen twine
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 chicken breast halves, on the bone, with skin, 4 1/2 pounds total weight
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 cups packed basil leaves
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- In a large heavy pot, bring the water to a boil.
- Peel, trim, and quarter the onion.
- Peel, trim, and smash the garlic.
- Add the onion, garlic, bay leaves, parsley, and salt to the boiling water and boil for about 10 minutes.
- Carefully slide the chicken breasts into the pot and return the water to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover, and poach the chicken for about 15 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, remove the cover, and let the chicken cool in the liquid.
- When cool enough to handle, remove the chicken from the broth, skin and bone it, and shred into bite-sized pieces.
- Put in a large bowl.
- (Be sure to strain and reserve the broth for making soups or sauces.)
- Make the dressing: Peel, trim, and chop the garlic as fine as possible.
- Rinse the basil leaves, pat them dry, and chop very fine.
- In a bowl, combine the garlic and basil with the remaining dressing ingredients.
- If you would like a smoother sauce, blend all the ingredients in a blender or food processor until saucelike.
- Spoon the dressing over the chicken, toss well to combine, and transfer to a serving platter.
- Serve within 1 hour of finishing.
water, onion, garlic, bay leaves, flatleaf parsley, salt, chicken, garlic, basil, mayonnaise, freshly grated parmigianoreggiano, lemon, freshly ground black pepper, salt
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/basil-parmesan-chicken-salad-recipe.html (may not work)