Salat Olivier (Tart Chicken Salad With Sour Cream Dressing)
To serve 6
2 whole chicken breasts, about ¾ pound each
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
2 teaspoons of salt
½ cup of coarsely chopped, drained, sour dill pickles
4 boiled new potatoes, cooled peeled and thinly sliced
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and thinly sliced
1/8 teaspoon of white pepper
¼ cup of mayonnaise, freshly made or a good unsweetened commercial variety
¼ cup of sour cream
2 tablespoons of capers, drained, washed, and patted dry with paper towels
1 tablespoon of finely cut fresh dill leaves
6 green olives
1 medium tomato, peeled
1 small head of lettuce, the leaves separated, washed and dried with paper towels
In a heavy 2- to 3-quart pot, combine the chicken, onion and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cover with about 1½ quarts of cold water and bring to a boil uncovered over high heat, skimming off the fat and scum as it rises to the surface. Partially cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and simmer about 10 minutes, or until the chicken is tender. Remove the chicken from the pot and with a small, sharp knife, remove and discard the skin and cut the meat away from the bones. Cut the chicken meat into strips of about ½ inch wide and combine them in a large mixing bowl with pickles, potatoes and eggs. Sprinkle with the remaining teaspoon of salt and 1/8 teaspoon of white pepper. In a small bowl, beat together the mayonnaise and sour cream, and stir half of it into the salad. Taste for seasoning.
To serve Salat Olivier in the traditional Russian manner, shape the salad into a pyramid in the middle of a serving platter. Mask with the remaining sour-cream-and mayonnaise dressing and sprinkle it with capers and dill. Decorate with olives, tomatoes and lettuce leaves.