Chicken Salad with Peaches and Mint

I make this salad when the peaches are at their best and the tomatoes still smell like tomatoes, which in my kitchen is a short window in summer. Peaches and nectarines are members of the same family as plums and cherries, and they keep their sweetness well when you pick ones that give slightly at the shoulder. If they are rock hard, leave them on the bench for a day or two in a paper bag. Once they are ripe, it is worth eating them within a few days, or chilling them only briefly, because the cold can turn the flesh mealy.

The part that makes this dish feel special is the pan. After the chicken comes out, the balsamic vinegar goes straight into the hot pan and bubbles down into a glaze that catches on the bottom. Watch it closely. You want it to turn syrupy and dark, not black. That glaze then gets whisked into the yoghurt dressing, so none of the flavour is wasted. It is a good habit to carry into other dinners: any time you cook meat in a pan, a splash of vinegar or wine at the end gathers everything stuck to the metal into a sauce.

Let the chicken rest for the full five minutes. It keeps the slices juicy when you cut across the grain, and it gives you time to cook the potatoes or wash the greens. The potatoes are fine at room temperature, so do not rush them into the salad while they are steaming.

Leftovers keep well for a day in the fridge if you store the dressing separately from the leaves. Spinach wilts quickly once it is dressed, so pack the components apart and toss them together just before eating. Peaches will soften and go a little soft in the bowl, which is fine for lunch the next day.

If you want something alongside, a bowl of Baked Citrus Fish Parcels with Broccoli makes a lighter, fish-based dinner that shares the same bright citrus notes. For a warm, vegetable-forward supper on a cooler evening, Warm Roasted Vegetable Salad with Beef Fillet is a natural companion. A third option that also uses yoghurt-based dressing is Fresh Salmon Salad with Dill Yoghurt Dressing, which you could serve on the same table if you are feeding a crowd.