Buckwheat Salad with Chicken and Pickled Cucumber Recipe
Buckwheat salad with chicken and pickled cucumber is a Polish answer to hearty meal salads. It combines groats, meat, vegetables and the distinctive flavour of pickled cucumber. It’s perfect as a work lunch, dinner or a dish for a home party – you can serve it in a large bowl so everyone can help themselves.
This salad turns humble buckwheat into a complete, satisfying meal. The combination of tender chicken, crunchy vegetables and tangy pickled cucumbers creates a distinctly Polish flavour profile that holds up well in the fridge and is ideal for meal prep.
Chef's tips
Make sure the buckwheat and chicken are completely cooled before mixing with the dressing – this keeps the salad from becoming sticky and the dressing from separating. If the pickled cucumbers are very sour, taste the salad before salting; often the briny vegetables provide enough seasoning on their own.
How to serve
Serve in a large bowl for guests to help themselves, or pack into individual containers for an easy grab-and-go lunch. It pairs well with fresh tomatoes or a simple green salad on the side.
Ingredients
- buckwheat groats, raw (unroasted or roasted) dry groats - 150 g
- chicken breast - 300 g
- pickled cucumbers medium - 3 pieces
- bell pepper medium - 1 piece
- canned sweetcorn drained - 0.5 cans
- chives - 0.5 bunch
- mayonnaise - 3 tablespoons
- yogurt for a lighter dressing - 2 tablespoons
- mild or Sarepska mustard - 1 teaspoon
- oil for frying the chicken - 1 tablespoon
- salt for the groats, chicken and dressing
- black pepper to taste
- sweet paprika powder for seasoning the chicken - 0.5 teaspoons
Preparation
- Rinse the buckwheat groats in a sieve under running water. In a pot, bring about 400 ml of water with a pinch of salt to the boil. Add the groats, stir, cover and cook over low heat for 12–15 minutes, until the groats absorb the water and are soft but not mushy. Set aside to cool, preferably uncovered so excess steam can escape.
- Wash the chicken breast, pat dry with paper towels and cut into cubes about 1.5 cm in size. Season with salt, pepper and sweet paprika.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the chicken and fry for 7–10 minutes over medium heat, stirring often, until the pieces are golden on the outside and cooked through in the centre (the meat should not be pink when cut). Set aside to cool.
- Dice the pickled cucumbers finely. Wash the pepper, remove the core and dice as well.
- Wash the chives, pat dry and finely chop. Drain the sweetcorn in a sieve.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooled buckwheat, fried chicken, pickled cucumbers, pepper, sweetcorn and chives.
- In a separate small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, yogurt and mustard. Season with salt and pepper, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Add the dressing to the bowl with the salad and mix thoroughly so all the ingredients are well coated. Refrigerate for at least 20–30 minutes to allow the flavours to meld.
Storage
Sałatkę przechowuj w lodówce w zamkniętym pojemniku do 2 dni. Przed podaniem wymieszaj, bo sos może lekko opaść na dno. Nie nadaje się do mrożenia, bo warzywa i sos stracą dobrą konsystencję.
