Pine Nut Chicken Salad

Contributed by David Chang

TOTAL TIME: 30 MIN
SERVINGS: 4 to 6

FAST

In Korea, chef David Chang tasted a delicate, creamy pine nut sauce, made with only pine nuts, apricot nectar and chives. He immediately thought it would be a good substitute for mayonnaise. It's delicious in this chicken salad and would also be good in shrimp salad, lobster salad and egg salad, or used as a sandwich spread.

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1/2 pound pine nuts
3/4 cup apricot nectar or juice or apple juice
3 tablespoons chopped chives
2 inner celery ribs, finely diced
One 3-pound rotisserie chicken—skin and bones discarded, meat shredded (about 4 cups)
Salt
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, preferably black

In a blender, combine the pine nuts and apricot nectar and puree until smooth. Add 2 tablespoons of the chives and pulse just to incorporate. Transfer the sauce to a bowl and stir in the celery and chicken. Season with salt. Garnish with the sesame seeds and the remaining 1 tablespoon of chives and serve.

Serve With Spicy kimchi or pickled vegetables.

Suggested Pairing

Pinot Gris from Oregon can seem sweet, thanks to an nice intensity of ripe apple and pear flavors, but many of these wines are, in fact, dry. Try one with this crunchy, slightly sweet salad.