Shredded chicken with green beans and dill walnut dressing

Tamara West

This vibrant salad is perfect when green beans are tender and at the height of their season. Most cooks like to immerse cooked beans in iced water to prevent further cooking and retain their bright green colour, but for use in a salad, I am with Stephanie Alexander (Australian food writer), in preferring to drain and give them a quick flash under the cold tap, then lay out on kitchen paper.

Ingredients

400 g	Green beans, trimmed
3	Spring onions, roughly chopped
¼ cup	Chopped parsley
2 Tbsp	Fresh dill, picked, plus extra to garnish
¼ cup	Walnut pieces
2 Tbsp	Lemon juice, plus extra lemon for wedges
½ cup	Olive oil
250 g	Cherry tomatoes, halved
1	Whole chicken, cooked, skin and bones removed (Main)

Directions

1. Steam green beans (or cook in lightly salted boiling water), until bite-tender. Drain and flash under the cold tap to stop the cooking process. Lay out on to kitchen paper to drain.
2. Place the spring onion, parsley, dill, walnuts and lemon juice in a small food processor or blender and process until smooth. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil through the feed tube. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Place beans and cherry tomatoes in a large mixing bowl. Shred the chicken into fairly large pieces and add to beans.
4. Drizzle over enough dressing to moisten and carefully toss all together. Place remainder of dressing in a small serving bowl.
5. Transfer to a large flat serving dish, sprinkle over extra dill and place lemon wedges to the side. Serve at room temperature with a bowl of boiled new potatoes.