Cucumber Plate with Curry Vinaigrette and Poached Chicken
Got 15 minutes? Then you’ve got time for this fetching and lively salad plate featuring summer’s coolest produce. Bonus: no oven required!
A Cool Dish for the Salad Days of Summer
When It’s Too Hot to Cook, Cucumbers Come Calling!
As a briny pickle, a soothing eye mask or a spa-worthy addition to water, the no-frills cucumber punches far above its weight. Botanically speaking, the cucumber plant’s creeping vine bears fruit, but culturally speaking we largely consider it a vegetable. My bottom line? No matter what you call cucumbers, if you’re eating them, you’re winning.
This salad has it all: crunch from the cucumber, acid from the tomato, salt from the feta, bite from the onion and a subtle sweetness from the curry vinaigrette. It’s a veritable salad dance party. Don’t be shy about making a double batch of the dressing; you’ll find loads of uses for it as a dip or marinade for a wide variety of vegetables and proteins. (Pro tip: Use it to dress a chunky egg salad in my bonus recipe.)
The recipe calls for one large or two small cucumbers, but really go as cuke-heavy as you desire. I generally prefer Persian cucumbers for this salad. They’re thin-skinned, petite and have relatively few seeds; they’re also crunchy and have concentrated flavor. However, any cucumber—English, lemon, Kirby—will shine in this recipe.
I have included a small amount of MSG in the vinaigrette. Unfairly stigmatized in the 1960s, MSG is making a comeback; I find it provides a deep savoriness and balanced umami. If you’re not there yet, feel free to substitute salt, fish sauce or soy sauce. And although this recipe calls for poached chicken, grilled fish or even chilled tofu would be a lovely accompaniment.
Jamie Samons wouldn’t eat a vegetable until she was 18 but has spent decades making up for lost time. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the flavors created by the admirable growers and producers who make Rhode Island delicious.
Related Stories & Recipes