Agrodolce-style chicken and rice salad with lemon and garlic yoghurt

Name: Agrodolce-style chicken and rice salad with lemon and garlic yoghurt
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 3-4
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 3 chicken thighs (or 1½ cups shredded cooked chicken meat); 2 cups cooked brown rice (warm or cold); 1 cup mixed herbs, chopped

Katrina Meynink

February 19, 2024

Sweet and sour chicken and rice salad.Katrina Meynink

easyTime:< 30 minsServes:3-4

Aim for about one chicken thigh per serve for this salad, so you can scale up and down as much as you need, and to ensure you have leftovers for the next day.

Agrodolce is a broad Italian term for a sweet-and-sour sauce made with a combination of onions, garlic, vinegar, sugar and raisins. I’ve borrowed from this tradition to make a lively dressing that coats the grains and chicken beautifully.

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
3 chicken thighs (or 1½ cups shredded cooked chicken meat)
2 cups cooked brown rice (warm or cold)
1 cup mixed herbs, chopped

Agrodolce dressing

3 tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion, finely sliced
sea salt flakes
¼ cup red wine vinegar
juice of ½ lemon
1½ tbsp caster sugar
75g pine nuts, toasted
3 tbsp currants

Lemon and garlic yoghurt

½ cup Greek-style yoghurt
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, crushed

Method

Step 1
Place a frying pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and fry the chicken thighs for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and cooked through. Allow to cool then slice or shred the chicken.
Step 2
Add the chicken to a bowl with the brown rice and herbs, and toss gently to combine.
Step 3
To make the agrodolce dressing, add the olive oil to the frying pan and return to medium heat. Add the sliced onion with a pinch of sea salt flakes and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often to ensure it doesn’t take on too much colour. Add the vinegar, lemon juice and sugar and simmer for a few minutes until the liquid has reduced. Add the pine nuts and currants and cook for 1 minute, or until the nuts are golden. Remove from the heat and allow the dressing to cool slightly before adding to the bowl of chicken and rice.
Step 4
Toss gently to combine and check for seasoning. Turn out into a serving bowl.
Step 5
In a separate bowl, combine the yoghurt, lemon juice and zest and garlic, and then drizzle over the rice salad upon serving.