The “Anthill” chicken salad with shoestring potatoes is not just a hearty dish, but a real gastronomic adventure that I call a '3 in 1' format. In one plate, nourishing chicken breast, the freshness of early spring cabbage and radishes, and golden, extra-crunchy potatoes that look like forest pine needles harmoniously come together. A homemade olive oil mayonnaise gives the dish a special charm, uniting all the layers into a single tender composition. This salad is particularly popular in modern Russian cuisine due to its impressive presentation and its ability to turn an ordinary family dinner into a small celebration.
The appetizing “Anthill” salad with golden shoestring potatoes and fresh herbs is the perfect dish for a festive table.
Ingredients
- 4-5 potatoes
- 250 g (8.8 oz) boiled chicken
- 2 hard-boiled eggs
- 200 g (7 oz) early spring cabbage or Napa cabbage
- 100 g (3.5 oz) radishes
- 50 g (1.7 oz) green onions
- salt, black pepper, fresh dill
- vegetable oil for frying
For the Sauce
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon 9% white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon table mustard
- 50 g (1.7 oz) olive oil
- sugar and salt
How to Make “Anthill” Chicken Salad with Shoestring Potatoes
Peel the potatoes and cut them into thin julienne strips. You’ll need very fine strips, which is quite difficult to achieve by hand, so using a mandoline or a specialized slicer attachment will give you the exact shape—after frying, they will resemble pine needles. Place the cut potatoes into a bowl and cover with cold water. Change the water several times until it runs clear to wash away the excess starch.
Rinse the cut potatoes in cold water several times to remove excess starch for the perfect crunch.
Drain the rinsed shoestring potatoes in a sieve and leave them until the water drains completely.
Leave the shoestring potatoes in a sieve to allow all excess liquid to drain completely before drying.
Spread the rinsed potatoes on a kitchen towel and leave them for a while—the strips must dry completely. You can cover them with another towel or paper towels to help absorb the moisture.
Thoroughly dry the potatoes on a towel. Dry strips will fry up evenly golden and crispy.
Thinly shred the early spring cabbage or Napa cabbage, then sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Massage the cabbage with the salt until it softens.
Shred the cabbage as thinly as possible and lightly massage it with salt to make it tender and juicy.
Dice the boiled chicken and hard-boiled eggs into small cubes, then arrange them in an even layer on a serving platter.
Lay down the base of the salad by spreading the finely diced chicken and boiled eggs in an even layer on a platter.
Make the mayonnaise sauce. Pour 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt into a tall blender cup, add the table mustard, pour in the 9% white vinegar, and add the raw egg yolk. Blend the ingredients for 2 minutes, then add the olive oil drop by drop. Blend for a total of 5-6 minutes; as the oil is incorporated, the mayonnaise will thicken. Towards the end, you can pour the oil in a thin stream rather than drop by drop.
Blend the homemade mayonnaise until thick, gradually adding olive oil for a rich flavor.
Transfer the mayonnaise sauce into a piping bag or a ziplock bag, snip off the corner, and pipe a grid over the chicken and eggs.
Using a piping bag or a ziplock bag, pipe a neat grid of sauce over the first layer of ingredients.
Finely chop the green onions and scatter a layer of them over the mayonnaise grid.
A layer of fresh green onions adds a touch of spice and bright spring colors to the salad.
Add the cabbage layer and pipe strips of mayonnaise on top.
Place the prepared cabbage over the onions and add another light drizzle of mayonnaise.
Grate the radishes on a coarse box grater or cut them into thin matchsticks, then spread them as the next layer of the salad. You don’t need to salt the radishes, but make sure to coat them with mayonnaise; I highly recommend making this final layer of sauce generous.
Cut the radishes into matchsticks and arrange them as the next layer, generously coating them with homemade sauce.
Once the salad is assembled, it’s time to fry the potato strips. It’s best to do this right before serving. Fried potatoes taste best while hot or warm. Pour refined vegetable oil into a skillet and heat it thoroughly. Fry the shoestring potatoes in small batches for a few minutes until cooked and golden.
Fry the shoestring potatoes in small batches in thoroughly heated oil until golden brown.
Transfer the potatoes to a plate and sprinkle with salt.
Transfer the cooked shoestring potatoes to a plate and lightly salt them while they are still hot.
Sprinkle the salad with the fried potatoes, covering it entirely so the bottom layers are hidden. Garnish with fresh dill, season with black pepper, and serve immediately.
Completely cover the salad with shoestring potatoes to mimic an anthill, and garnish with fresh dill sprigs.
To ensure your “Anthill” chicken salad with shoestring potatoes retains its signature crunch, I recommend sprinkling it with the fried potatoes right before bringing it to the table. If you want to add new flavor dimensions, try substituting the boiled chicken with smoked chicken—it will create an interesting contrast with the fresh radishes and herbs. It is also important to thoroughly dry the potato strips before frying, so they turn out perfectly golden rather than boiled in oil.
Serve the salad on a wide, flat platter to highlight its voluminous shape, reminiscent of a forest anthill. If you have leftovers, store the shoestring potatoes separately from the vegetable base in an airtight container, otherwise they will quickly become soggy and lose their texture. This culinary secret will allow you to enjoy the perfect taste of the dish even the next day. Bon appétit!
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