A winning chicken and mushroom salad for your next party

I prepare the chicken and mushroom salad for almost every party; it is my version of the ever-popular gyros. It has so much flavour that it's hard not to nod in appreciation after tasting it. In fact, it even pleases my mother-in-law.

The base of my favourite salad for a party is chicken roasted in a yogurt marinade, mushrooms fried to a golden colour, and canned corn and celery. It's salty, it's sweet, the mushrooms give the salad their umami flavour, and there are also sour notes because the sauce—dill-garlic—is made using mayonnaise, natural yogurt, and lemon juice. An excellent finishing touch for the salad is a handful of dill spread on the top layer of the sauce.

Chicken marinated in yogurt gains tenderness. Instead of yogurt, you can also use kefir or buttermilk. The meat then goes in the refrigerator for two hours so the marinade can work. After this, before putting the meat in the oven, let it sit on the kitchen counter for 30 minutes to reach room temperature. This way, you will take it out of the oven evenly cooked. Chicken prepared in this manner will be an excellent ingredient for a party salad.

Ingredients:

• 510 g chicken breast,
• 510 g mushrooms,
• 1 leek,
• 400 g canned corn,
• 310 g marinated celery,
• 2 garlic cloves,
• fresh dill,
• lemon juice,
• 400 g natural yogurt,
• 5 tablespoons mayonnaise,
• granulated garlic, oregano, ground paprika,
• salt, pepper,
• 1 tablespoon clarified butter + canola oil for frying.

1. Mix 140 g of yogurt with salt, pepper, oregano, paprika, and dried garlic and thoroughly spread the marinade on the meat. Set the meat aside in the fridge for 2 hours.
2. Roast the marinated chicken at 175°C for about 30 minutes.
3. Mix mayonnaise, natural yogurt, chopped dill, and garlic pressed through a press. Season the mixture with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
4. Cut the leek into thin slices, then scald it with boiling water (you can leave the vegetable raw if you like the intense taste of leek).
5. Drain the corn and celery from the brine.
6. Cut the cooled meat into thin slices.
7. Fry the sliced mushrooms to a golden colour in well-heated clarified butter. Do not season them with salt.
8. Mix the salad ingredients thoroughly. Save a few spoonfuls of the sauce to cover the top of the salad and sprinkle with freshly chopped dill.
9. Party salad tastes best after spending a few hours in the refrigerator.