Monika Chicken Cocktail

This chilled chicken cocktail combines tender chicken with pineapple and a creamy cocktail sauce made with mayonnaise, tomato, cognac and mustard. The cocktail is served on butterhead lettuce and eaten well chilled.

Serves: 4 people
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooling and chilling: approximately 45 minutes
Cooking: 15 minutes
Total time: approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 350–400 g chicken breast
• 100 ml mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp cognac
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp mustard
• 140–150 g pineapple in its own juice, drained weight
• 4 butterhead lettuce leaves
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Prepare the pineapple
   Drain the pineapple well and, if necessary, cut the pieces into small cubes.
2. Prepare the lettuce
   Wash the butterhead lettuce leaves and dry them thoroughly.

Method

1. Cook the chicken
   Place the chicken breasts in a pan and add enough water to just cover them. Bring the water to just below boiling point and gently cook the chicken over a low heat. After about 10–12 minutes, check whether the chicken is fully cooked. The core temperature must be at least 70 °C for 2 minutes.
2. Cool the chicken
   Remove the chicken from the pan and leave it to steam off briefly. Cut the chicken into small cubes, spread them out on a clean plate and leave them to cool further. Then place the chicken in the refrigerator until completely cold.
3. Make the cocktail sauce
   Mix the mayonnaise with the ketchup, cognac, lemon juice and mustard. Season the sauce with a small amount of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
4. Mix the cocktail
   Add the cold chicken and drained pineapple to the cocktail sauce and gently mix everything together.
5. Fill the glasses
   Place a butterhead lettuce leaf in each glass or small bowl and divide the chicken cocktail between them.
6. Chill the cocktail
   Cover the filled glasses and place them in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes, then serve the chicken cocktail cold.