Seite Chicken Salad with Chickpea Leek Fritters
I don’t know where to start with this one because I am really excited about a how the fritters came out, but it is a salad after all, so I guess I should start with the greens. I will admit to being in a rut with my greens selection, but I love what arugula brings to the table in terms of flavor, so it’s my solid “go to” at the grocery store. It’s not so much that I am a salad girl because I love salads, but more that I came to love a salad because I learned more and more about how important a daily does of greens is. Also, I started putting everything on a plate of greens because it looks better and because it’s a super low prep ingredient. I find that arugula holds up to the type of salads that I like to make. Ones with heartier portion of protein and lots of veggies. The greens in this salad can either add a little more kick of pepper or can help cool it down…Choose whichever variety of greens you like the best on that day, but load up the plate.
Initially I called this hot chicken. While I was typing it though, I remembered that my guys in Nashville might feel that I am being deceptive if I call it hot chicken because I simply added some Seite hot sauce to a cooked, shredded chicken breast that I had in the fridge. Their hot chicken takes a ton more work and planning.
I love Seite hot sauce and I think that the flavors are complex enough that it doesn’t need any dressing up. I would not make this dish with Tabasco sauce…I mean, you could, if that’s your thing, but I wouldn’t. Nothing against Tabasco, but it needs friends to balance it out. Even something like Frank’s Hot Sauce, which I also like, isn’t going to deliver solo like Seite does for me. That’s why, if I am making more traditional wings, I would add butter to Frank’s. Usually, I am a pretty big fan of butter (I have grass fed cow rules, of course), but I made this dish because someone was talking about wings and I am not eating dairy this month. This isn’t really anything like wings for a couple of reasons, but the spicy, juicy chicken really hit the spot. As always, use what suits your taste and add additional fat and flavor as you want. The beautiful part about the chicken that I buy, is that it is so…wait for it…moist that it doesn’t need the additional fat to keep it delicious. I also knew that I was going to use a bunch in the fritters. I am going to eat everything together, so the chicken really doesn’t need any extra oil.
The chicken breast was seasoned the night before I cooked it with sea salt and then roasted, skin on, in the Ninja at Bake/400 degrees for about 20 minutes. Cooking time will vary depending on size, but I take it to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. I batch cook a few different cuts of chicken for the week and then portion it, without the skin, to use in different ways throughout the week. My standard serving is 4 oz of whatever the animal protein of the meal is or 112 gram. Ultimately, I probably end up consuming around 100 oz per meal because I am a sucker for my dog’s cute face, but adjust the serving size as needed for your life. Four ounces of shredded chicken also fits very nicely in a one cup mason jar and I stash them in my fridge and freezer for quick meals. So, I added a tablespoon (15g) of Seite hot sauce to a jar, stirred to combine it, popped the lid on, and put it back in the fridge for awhile.
Then, I used what was left of my over cooked spaghetti squash (about 3/4 cup) and mixed it up really well with some sprouted chickpea flour (1/2 cup), a couple tablespoons of sautéed leeks, a dash of garlic powder, 1/4 tsp sea salt, and a dash of black pepper and tucked that back in the fridge alongside the mason jar of marinating chicken…Is it still marinating if it’s already cooked?… hmmm… Anyway, they both joined the already roasted cauliflower that I cut into bite sized pieces.
This is another one of those “people think I eat weird foods” moments, but I have really grown to like cauliflower and it’s one of the veggies that I cooked every week. Because it’s just me in the house, I roast the cauliflower naked…both of it’s leaves and of oil, but you probably want to add some. I roast the head, whole, in the Ninja at Bake/400 degrees for 20 minutes. Depending on the size of the head of cauliflower, of course, this usually keeps it pretty crisp on the inside, but gives it some color on the outside. This way, I can eat it as a simple snack or side or I can continue to cook it into a dish without it becoming total mush. If I was going to make it just for this dish, I would probably rub about a tablespoon of avocado oil on it and roast it at 375 degrees for closer to 30 minutes, depending on how crisp you like your veggies.
When it was time for dinner, I cooked the fritters in a tablespoon of avocado oil in a moderately hot pan. A drop of water wants to sizzle, but you definitely don’t want any smoke. It’s a 4 on my stovetop, but I have burned a batch or two, so start lower when in doubt. I like to portion the oil in a little bowl and then use a brush to coat the pan. It gives me more control over how much of the oil gets used where. Chickpea pancakes, and fritters 🙂, like to stick to the pan, so use a non-stick if that’s your thing. I like the avocado oil because it’s pretty neutral in taste and high in smoke point. When I flip them, I brush another layer of oil on the pan for the new side so both get crispy and yummy. These ones were extra delicious because the spaghetti squash gives a little sweetness and the leeks bring the savory.
All that was left to do was chop some celery, put the arugula on the plate, and piled on the chicken. I cheated and used a prop sauce because I thought it would look better and because most people have a ranch or blue cheese dressing that they like. I wasn’t in the mood for a dressing, but you should use one of those options if you aren’t dairy free.
