I must admit, I am not a salads person. I will never order salad when eating out, except if it is a shared dish and other more hearty dishes are also on the table. Unfortunately I have difficulty convincing myself that salads can be interesting and tasty, and filling.
However, I know that this is the wrong way to think about salads. And I made a spring chicken salad recently (recipe below) to help convince myself. And boy, I must make more salads for dinner! The recipe I’m sharing today was an experiment using spring greens and it tastes delicious! I’ve used a brown rice and quinoa mix, which is my new favourite carb. If you buy the microwavable pouches, they become a super easy option for lunch or dinner. Nutty and with texture, they make a great warm addition to a salad.
I added avocado and feta, for lusciousness. And a seed and za’atar rub on the chicken which gives crunch and flavour.
It makes plenty enough for four, but my husband and I were lucky to have leftovers.
Spring chicken salad
Ingredients
- 500g chicken breast
- 3tbs almond meal
- 3tbs pumpkin and sunflower seeds, mixed
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tbs sesame seeds
- 2 tsp za’atar
- Salt and pepper to season
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 100g snowpeas
- 200g green beans
- 1/3 cup frozen peas
- 1 pouch microwavable quinoa & brown rice
- 3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of half a lemon
- Salt and pepper
- 100g feta
Directions
- To make the rub for the chicken, mix almond meal, pumpkin, sunflower, and sesame seeds, garlic, za’atar seasoning and salt and pepper in a mortar and pestle.
- Coat the chicken breasts with the rub, ensuring an even layer. Fry in a frying pan with a little olive oil for 10-15 mins until cooked through.
- Slice the green beans and snowpeas into small 2cm chunks and steam with the peas for 3 mins or until bright green and just blanched. Add to the salad bowl.
- Microwave the quinoa and brown rice, and add to the salad bowl.
- Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a small container, and drizzle over the salad.
- Crumble the feta over the salad. Toss the ingredients to ensure an everything is evenly distributed.
- Once the chicken has been cooked, slice and lay on the top of the salad.
pumpkin and pear 