Chicken and Green Bean Salad with Curry Vinaigrette
Crisp beans, tender chicken, and a vinaigrette that wakes things up.
Good salads aren’t just about good ingredients. They’re about how you treat them. Blanch your beans and shock them in ice water so they stay bright. Poach your chicken gently so it’s juicy. But what changes everything is the dressing.
We all fall back on the basics—olive oil, lemon, maybe a touch of mustard. This is something else. A curry vinaigrette that’s sweet, sharp, a little spiced. It pulls everything together and works on more than just this salad.
You can use asparagus instead of beans. Swap in broccoli, roasted cauliflower, or even lentils. Poach your chicken or grill it. Add raisins or capers. But try the dressing as is. It’s the kind you keep making long after the salad is gone.
From my kitchen to yours,
Dilara
There’s a quiet kind of satisfaction in pulling together a salad like this. It’s soft and crisp, warm and cool, with just enough contrast to keep things interesting. Poached chicken, green beans, jammy eggs, a few good leaves—and a vinaigrette that does the real work.
The curry vinaigrette is the kind of sauce that shifts a salad’s entire direction. Warm, bright, gently spiced. It clings lightly to everything, bringing the sweet, the acidic, the savory into balance. Good for this plate, yes—but also for spooning over roast vegetables or tossing into a grain bowl. It’s a useful one to keep around.
If you’re making this in parts, start with the dressing. Letting it sit a little helps the garlic mellow and the spices round out. The beans can be blanched in advance and kept cold. Poaching the chicken is simple—just take the heat down low and give it time. You’re not in a rush.
Everything here can be swapped. Use whatever greens you have. Trade the raisins for capers, or the beans for broccolini or asparagus when they’re in season. But try the dressing as is at least once. That’s where the surprise is.
Chicken and Green Bean Salad with Curry Vinaigrette
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
120 g French green beans, trimmed
2 skinless chicken breasts
500 ml chicken stock or water
1 bay leaf
1 tsp green peppercorns
2 lemon slices
1 small romaine (or Little Gem) per person
¼ cup golden raisins
2 eggs
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
Curry Vinaigrette:
¾ tsp mild curry powder
¼ cup olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (or pomegranate molasses)
1 tsp brown sugar or honey
1 clove garlic, finely minced
⅛ tsp salt
METHOD
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the beans and cook until just tender, about 5–6 minutes. Transfer immediately to an ice bath to lock in color and stop the cooking. Drain well and pat dry.
Soak the raisins in warm water for 20–30 minutes to soften. Drain and set aside.
Preheat your oven to 170°C. In an oven-safe pan, add the chicken breasts, lemon slices, bay leaf, green peppercorns, and chicken stock. Gently heat on the stove over medium until wisps of steam rise from the surface—do not let it boil. Turn off the heat, flip the chicken, and cover the pan with parchment paper. Transfer to the oven and cook for 15–20 minutes, depending on the size of the breasts, until the internal temperature reaches 74°C.
Gently lower the eggs into boiling water and cook for 7 minutes. Transfer to an ice water bath, peel, and halve.
To make the vinaigrette, combine all dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well until emulsified. Let sit for 15–20 minutes for the flavors to meld, so the garlic softens and flavors come together. Strain if you prefer a smooth finish.
Slice the chicken breasts on a slight angle into even pieces. Toss the green beans with a bit of the vinaigrette. Dress the mini romaine separately with the vinaigrette.
Arrange the beans, sliced chicken, and romaine on plates. Add halved tomatoes, jammy eggs, and softened raisins. Drizzle with more vinaigrette to finish.
Alternative Cooking Methods for Chicken
If preferred, the chicken (or turkey) can be cooked easily in the oven, on the stovetop, or grilled.
Let the meat come to room temperature and pound gently to even out the thickness. The cooking times below are for pounded pieces about 1.5–2 cm thick. Season both sides with salt, pepper, and any spices you like. The key is to cook the meat to exactly 74°C to keep it juicy.
Oven:
Place on a parchment-lined baking tray. Bake at 200°C for 12–15 minutes depending on thickness.
Stovetop:
Heat a skillet over medium-high. Add a bit of oil, then sear each side for 3–4 minutes. For thicker cuts, finish in a preheated 180°C oven for 10–15 minutes.
Grill:
Preheat the grill to medium-high. Oil the grates. Grill each side for 4–5 minutes.
Afiyet olsun!