Turkish Chicken Salad with Homemade Yogurt Cacık Sauce
A complete salad with Mediterranean flavors and its yogurt cucumber sauce.
- Prep time: 30 minutes
- Cook time: 15 minutes
This generous and aromatic Turkish chicken salad will transport you straight to the Mediterranean shores. Accompanied by its traditional cacık sauce with yogurt and cucumber, it makes a complete and refreshing meal, perfect for hot days.
Ingredients
-
carrots
-
cucumber
-
clove of garlic
-
gherkins
-
jalapeño peppers
-
lemon
-
cucumber
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green head lettuce
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olive oil
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curly parsley
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red cabbage
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red onions
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chicken grillé
complet ou blancs de poulet -
salt
-
pepper
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tomatoes
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yogurt
nature, turk ou grec
Recipe steps
Prepare the cacık
Cut the Lebanese cucumber into very small dice and place in a bowl. Cover with salt and let rest for 30 minutes. The cucumber will release its juice which will deliciously flavor the yogurt.
Grill the peppers
Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat the jalapeño peppers with olive oil and grill until nicely golden.
Prepare the tomato salsa
Cut the tomatoes and cucumber into medium pieces. Slice the red onion as thinly as possible. Chop the parsley. Mix all these ingredients in a bowl, drizzle with the juice of 1 lemon, season with salt and pepper. Let marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Prepare the salad base
Tear the lettuce into suitable-sized pieces. Finely slice the red cabbage. Grate the carrot. Mix everything in a large salad bowl.
Add the chicken
Shred the roasted chicken into large pieces and add to the vegetable salad.
Finish the cacık
Drain the salted cucumber and mix with the Greek yogurt and crushed garlic. Adjust seasoning.
Assemble the salad
Remove the tomato salsa from the refrigerator. Drain the juice (save it for the vinaigrette). Add the tomato salsa and sliced pickles to the chicken salad.
Plating
Arrange the salad on a large platter. Serve with the grilled peppers, cacık, reserved vinaigrette, and hot sauce.
Tips and variations
- You can replace the roasted chicken with homemade grilled chicken for more freshness.
- For a vegetarian version, replace the chicken with grilled chickpeas or halloumi cheese.
- Adjust the amount of peppers according to your spice tolerance.
Anti-waste tips
Don’t throw away the tomato salsa juice! It makes an excellent vinaigrette for other salads.
Carrot tops can be used to make an original pesto or flavor a broth.
Save leftover cacık: it pairs perfectly with raw vegetables as an appetizer or as a sauce for grilled foods.
