I remember having Salad Olivieh in Iran in restaurants when we travelled into the center of the country.  When I asked my husband if he would like me to try making it, he jumped on the idea.  Unbeknownst to me, it is one of his favorites. So, the pressure was on.

As seems to be my approach these days with Persian foods, I looked up a variety of recipes, go a general sense of the commonalities and then created my own recipe, tweaking as I went along.  The result: a really good tasting chicken salad that even I (who normally does not like chicken  salad) really enjoyed! I didn’t exactly get the taste he was thinking of, but that was because I used leftover chicken from Chicken Marbella – which had its own distinct flavor. But it didn’t really matter, he fully enjoyed it.

It was a double treat for me, since it was Kosher for Passover!

Salad Olivieh

1 large potato (about 3/4 lb), peeled and diced

Just over 1/2 lb (9 oz) cooked, skinless chicken breast

1 cup frozen peas, thawed if from the grocery store, lightly cooked if fresh frozen(from Highland Orchards)

2 or 3 Persian (or Israeli) pickles

1 hard-boiled egg, peeled and diced (from Farmer Kim)

5 – 7 Tbs mayonnaise

3 Tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp dijon mustard

3 Tbsp olive oil

Kosher salt & Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Place the potatoes in a microwave safe dish and add a little water (about 1/4 inch deep).  Cover and microwave for til tender, about 2 – 4 minutes, depending upon the size of your dice. Set aside.

Shred the chicken breast, then chop into small pieces. Set aside.

Dice the egg and pickles.

In a large bowl, mix the potatoes, chicken, peas, pickles and egg.

In a small bowl, whisk together the Mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard and olive oil.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Adjust the mount of mayo to get the flavor and consistency to your taste.

Combine the dressing into the chicken mixture, mixing well. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary. Cover and place in the refrigerator for several hours to let the flavors come together.

Serve as a sandwich, with bread, a baguette, pita, or matzoh!

Enjoy!

Serves 6 – 8.