Supersize Me! Chicken crunch salad with sweet seeded dressing

Coleslaw?! We have opinions! And tips!

This recipe started life as a coleslaw, a dish *everyone* has an opinion on. Mostly it starts with someone mentioning coleslaw, followed by someone else using the word ‘claggy’.

In recent years, mayo-bound iterations of this summer staple have been shunned in favour of vinegar-led dressings. Yes, it’s possible to buy plastic tubfuls of slaw with more mayo than veg, but come on, isn’t the version with added cheese kinda great in a ham sandwich? Admit it. Didn’t mayo-bound coleslaw walk so fresh, light coleslaw could run?

In a Guardian article published last week, various chefs and food writers weigh in with their thoughts on making the perfect slaw, not all against more traditional creamy versions. I agree. Why not embrace the full spectrum?

Just as there’s more than one way to dress a salad, there’s more than one way to build from the ground up. Not into the carrot and onion? Use fennel and kohlrabi. Don’t like cabbage? Well, not all slaws are coleslaw, anyway, since the word ‘coleslaw’ originates from the Dutch word ‘kool’ (pronounced ‘cole’), which means cabbage.

As I said, this recipe started life as a slaw but evolved into something more substantial with shredded roast chicken for body, loads of herbs, and grapes, which bring a slight Waldorf vibe in partnership with the celery. No doubt this was also partly inspired by the viral celery salad, which serves us well now that it is HOT here in London.

For the next two weeks, I’m eating only cold, crunchy platefuls of tumbled fruit and veg with interesting dressings. But how to get the most from your ingredients?

*Drumroll* It’s time for my…

Top Crunchy Salad/Coleslaw Tips