Last week, I was in New York and brought you back a souvenir in the form of this Yardbird Chicken Salad.

I was there for work, and my friend L tagged along for some girl time in between the craziness, and to ensure that I got to eat a few proper meals. I lobbied for Wagamama because I’m missing those London vibes something fierce, and she countered with something wholly New York- a trip to Harlem to lunch at Red Rooster.

You’ve heard of Red Rooster. I impulse bought the cookbook and then made this for you. It was so good, and with so many other recipes bookmarked for the “to-make-soon” list, I was excited to go up and eat first hand.

After much debate, we decided to split the broccoli rabe (because, veggies), shrimp & grits and the Yardbird sandwich. All were fab, but let’s talk about the sandwich.

It was THE BEST. Marcus, and Red Rooster, is known for it’s Yardbird and we both could see why. It’s nice and spicy. Not just hot, but flavorful. Well, seasoned and balanced out nicely with the traditional LT, and with some righteous bread and butter pickles to really bring it all together. It was magnificent.

Per L’s request for more salads moving into summer, I thought I’d turn that amazingness into a salad, and after eating it for the last 3 days, it will now no-doubt become my 2018 summer go-to salad. And because a salad, IMO, is defined by its toppings, I’ve got:

Oven baked crispy chicken breast

roasted corn

fresh tomatoes

bread and butter pickles

cornbread croutons

sugared and spiced pecans

and a creamy, homemade buttermilk dressing.

It all comes together so nicely, and will certainly tide me over until I can get my can back to Red Rooster.

Because we didn’t even look at the dessert menu after this mean, and that, my friends, is a sin that must be atoned.

YardBird Chicken Salad

June 27, 2018

Servings: 2

Prep: 1 hr

Cook: 1 hr

Total: 2 hr

Difficulty: Easy

Print This

Yardbird Chicken Salad is a homemade salad inspired by the fried chicken at Red Rooster in New York City, with baked rather than fried chicken.

By: Chrissy

Ingredients

Yardbird seasoning:
1/4 cup berbere
1/4 cup hot smoked paprika
2 TB cumin
2 TB white pepper
2 TB celery salt
1 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
For the chicken:
2 4-ounce chicken cutlets, pounded thin
1 cup buttermilk
1 TB chicken seasoning
For the chicken breading:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 TB chicken seasoning
3 TB unsalted butter
2 ears corn on the cob
1 slab cornbread, cut into cubes
For the rest of the salad:
1 tomato, diced
1/2 cup bread and butter pickles, diced
2 TB candied spiced pecans
For the dressing:
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 TB heavy cream
2 TB plain Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp chicken seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

Step 1 Make the seasoning by mixing all the spices together in a jar. Set aside.
Step 2 Make the chicken marinate by mixing together the 1 cup buttermilk, and chicken seasoning. Add the chicken cutlets and refrigerate at least 1 hour, up to overnight.
Step 3 Preheat the oven to 375F.
Step 4 Wrap the ears of corn in foil. Bake for 35 minutes. Set aside to cool. Once cool, remove from cob.
Step 5 Increase the oven temperature to 425F. Add the cornbread cubes to a baking sheet in a single letter to toast up and crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Step 6 Add a 9 x 13 pan to the oven while it finishes preheating.
Step 7 In a medium bowl, add the flour, panko, cornstarch and chicken seasoning. Mix to combine. Let any excess marinade drip off the chicken and then roll it in the flour coating, making sure it is thoroughly covered. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
Step 8 Add the butter to the hot pan and immediately add the chicken in an even layer. Bake for 12 minutes and then flip and cook another 12 minutes on the other side, until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside to rest for five minutes.
Step 9 Make the dressing by mixing together all the dressing ingredients. Set aside.
Step 10 Assemble the salads by adding lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, pecans, croutons and sliced chicken to each. Dress as you like with the buttermilk dressing.