Recipe: Salad of Chicken, Cherries, and Watercress with Creamy Tarragon Dressing

Southern California farmers’ markets are overflowing with cherries this spring. If you can resist the temptation to eat them straight from the bag, this seasonal salad from Diana Henry’s book, A Bird in the Hand, is a fun way to bring cherries into a savory dish. She suggests tearing the cherries with your hands instead of slicing them. It could get messy with our juicy California cherries, but she writes, “the raw edges look better.”

Salad of Chicken, Cherries, and Watercress with Creamy Tarragon Dressing

From A Bird in The Hand: Chicken Recipes for Every Day and Every Mood by Diana Henry

Serves 4

for the salad

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1¾ cups chicken stock

1lb 2oz ripe cherries, pitted

7oz watercress

1/3 cup shelled pistachios, very coarsely chopped

for the dressing

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1/8 tsp Dijon mustard

salt and pepper

½ cup extra virgin olive oil (fruity rather than bitter 
or grassy)

2 tbsp heavy cream

chopped leaves from 5 sprigs of tarragon

1½ tsp superfine sugar, or to taste

Put the chicken into a saucepan (in which it can lie in a single layer) and cover with the stock. Heat until it just comes to a boil and then reduce the heat until the stock is gently simmering. Allow the chicken to poach in the liquid until it is cooked through, about 12 minutes. (You can check that the chicken is cooked by piercing it with the tip of a very sharp knife. The juices should run clear, with no trace of pink.) Let the chicken cool; it stays nice and moist if it sits in its cooking liquor. (The stock isn’t needed for this recipe, but you can keep it and use it for something else.)

To make the dressing, mix the vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper in a cup or small bowl. Whisk in the oil, 1½ tablespoons of water, and the cream. Add the tarragon and sugar, stir, and then taste. You may want to adjust the seasoning or the sweetness. The consistency should be that of light cream. This dressing improves while it sits (the tarragon flavor gets stronger), so cover and let stand for 30 minutes or so.

Drain the chicken and cut it into neat slices—or tear it, if you prefer—and gently toss with the cherries, watercress, pistachios, and dressing. Serve immediately.