Chicken and mushroom party salad wows guests with rich flavors

Soft and juicy chicken, crispy mushrooms, sweet corn, and flavorful marinated celery create a perfectly complementary taste mix. This salad is a great way to enhance the table during large parties, smaller gatherings, and even family celebrations.

I prepare the chicken and mushroom salad for almost every party; it is my version of the ever-popular gyros. It has so much flavor that it's hard not to nod in appreciation after tasting it. It even pleases my mother-in-law.

The base of my favorite party salad is chicken roasted in a yogurt marinade, mushrooms fried to a golden color, canned corn, and marinated celery. It's salty and sweet. The mushrooms give the salad its umami flavor, and the dill-garlic sauce, made with mayonnaise, natural yogurt, and lemon juice, adds sour notes. An excellent finishing touch for the salad is a handful of dill spread on the top layer of the sauce.

Chicken marinated in yogurt gains tenderness. Instead of yogurt, you can also use kefir or buttermilk. Marinate the meat in the refrigerator for two hours. Before putting it in the oven, let it sit on the kitchen counter for 30 minutes to reach room temperature. This way, it will come out of the oven evenly cooked. Chicken prepared this way will be excellent for a party salad.

Ingredients:

                                                  
• 18 oz chicken breast
• 18 oz mushrooms
• 1 leek
• 14 oz canned corn
• 11 oz marinated celery
• 2 garlic cloves
• Fresh dill
• Lemon juice
• 14 oz natural yogurt
• 5 tablespoons mayonnaise
• Granulated garlic, oregano, ground paprika
• Salt, pepper
• 1 tablespoon clarified butter + canola oil for frying

Preparation:

                                  
1. Mix 5 oz of yogurt with salt, pepper, oregano, paprika, and granulated garlic. Thoroughly coat the meat with the marinade. Set the meat aside in the fridge for 2 hours.
2. Roast the marinated chicken at 350°F for about 30 minutes.
3. Mix mayonnaise, natural yogurt, chopped dill, and garlic passed through a press. Season the mixture with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
4. Cut the leek into thin slices, then scald it with boiling water (optional if you like the intense taste of leek, you can leave it raw).
5. Drain the corn and celery.
6. Cut the cooled chicken into thin slices.
7. Fry the sliced mushrooms to a golden color in well-heated clarified butter. Do not season them with salt.
8. Mix the salad ingredients thoroughly. Save a few spoonfuls of the sauce to cover the top of the salad and sprinkle with freshly chopped dill.
9. Party salad tastes best after spending a few hours in the refrigerator.