Chicken Salad With Fennel and Charred Dates

By Ali Slagle

Updated September 7, 2021

  • Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
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Total Time
10 minutes
Rating
4(324)
Comments
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The unlikely inspiration for this savory-sweet salad comes from Lilia, an Italian restaurant in Brooklyn, where vanilla gelato is adorned with sea salt, honey, olive oil and fennel pollen for a dessert that is citrusy, creamy and fresh. The savory spin goes like this: Thinly slice two fennel bulbs, then mix with shallots and shredded cooked chicken. Dates cook in olive oil so their outsides blister and their insides become caramel-like and soft. Fennel seeds and red-pepper flakes are added to the skillet, which creates a spiced oil for dressing the salad.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 2 small fennel bulbs (about 2 pounds total), tough outer layers removed, fronds reserved, stalks thinly sliced, bulbs halved and thinly sliced through the root

  • 1 shallot, thinly sliced

  • ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2 lemons), plus more to taste

  • Kosher salt and black pepper

  • 4 cups shredded cooked chicken (about 1 pound)

  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • 8 Medjool dates, pitted and quartered

  • 2 teaspoons fennel or coriander seeds

  • ½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more to taste

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

47 grams carbs; 85 milligrams cholesterol; 608 calories; 23 grams monosaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 35 grams fat; 7 grams fiber; 716 milligrams sodium; 31 grams protein; 37 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large bowl, toss together the sliced fennel, shallot and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken on top, but don’t stir.

  2. Step 2

    In a medium (10-inch) skillet, heat the oil over medium. Add the dates and cook, stirring halfway through, until blistered in spots, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, turn off the heat, then add the fennel seeds and red-pepper flakes. Swirl until sizzling and fragrant, then immediately pour the oil and dates over the chicken. Toss to combine. Taste and adjust with salt, pepper, red-pepper flakes and lemon juice. Top with some torn fennel fronds.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
324 user ratings
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Comments

Dana

This salad was a huge hit, with the crunchy texture of the veggies and hits of chewy sweetness from the dates. We may use a bit more lemon juice and salt next time, but will definitely file this in our “keepers” file. PS: As usual with NYT time estimates, this is definitely not a 10 minute recipe.

Megan G

Absolutely delicious, but I’m not sure even Edward Scissorhands could do all this slicing and shredding and get this on the table in 10 minutes.

GEL

No problem, just pan roast first for a minute or so until a bit darker and fragrant, then grind in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Add at the end, you don’t want to roast the powder.

Stefan Weinberger

Love this recipe! Incredibly delicious! I used red onion instead of shallots which worked really nicely. Cut the dates into small pieces so they’re nice and crunchy and not too overpowering. This is perfect with a leftover rotisserie chicken! Highly recommend pulling off the skin and crisping it in a hot pan and serving on top- fancy!

JR

Delicious and easy!

Priya

It’s a lovely recipe. I did amend it. I seasoned chicken and air-fried the pieces - then shredded it. I also added minced jalapeño. It was delicious.

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