Vietnamese restaurants taught us to love the fresh roll-up — a cup of lettuce, some cunningly spiced meat, raw vegetables, and leaves of basil and fresh coriander. What a way to eat, especially in summer. You can stretch a little bit of this and that into a generous, lovely little feast of Asian-style finger food. Here, the feast centers on take-out chicken. With chutney, lemon, herbs and almonds, the plebeian bird emerges as the classiest of chicken salads. Add the Vietnamese elements, and there’s no need to turn on the stove. The chicken salad is better if made a day ahead, but don’t add the celery and nuts until serving time. From “How to Eat Supper,” serves 4. (15 minutes prep time; 20 minutes resting time.)
Ingredients
CHICKEN SALAD
One 3-pound roasted chicken
1 medium red onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
Grated zest of 1 large lemon
Juice of 3 large lemons, or more to taste
2 jalapeños, seeded and minced; or hot sauce to taste
One 9-ounce jar Major Grey Chutney, cut into bite-sized pieces if necessary
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper
3 large celery stalks, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 cup salted almonds, coarsely chopped
LETTUCE CUPS AND HERBS
1 large head Bibb lettuce, leaves separated, washed and dried
1 large bunch fresh basil, washed and dried
1 large bunch fresh coriander, washed and dried
8 radishes, thinly sliced
1 large cucumber, peeled and sliced into thin rounds or 2-inch sticks
Directions
Pull meat from chicken carcass, discarding skin and bones. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
In a large bowl combine onions, lemon zest and juice, jalapeños, chutney, mayonnaise and salt and pepper. Fold in chicken. Taste mix for lemon, mayonnaise, and herbs, adding more as needed. Let it stand for 20 minutes to blend flavors, or cover and refrigerate overnight.
To serve, blend celery and nuts into chicken mixture. Mound salad at one side of a big platter. Pile up lettuce leaves at the other side, and cluster sprigs of herbs in the center. Tuck radishes and cucumbers next to herbs.
Put a few herb leaves in the bottom of a lettuce “cup,” top them with a spoonful of salad, add a slice each of radish and cucumber, and roll up.
Wine ideas: A bright, crisp, dry riesling would bridge the sweet-hot notes of this dish and match it in crunchy freshness. Australian rieslings are nearly always bone-dry; Yalumba and Pewsey Vale make terrific examples for $16 or less. Tara Q. Thomas
