My usual lunch is some kind of a salad. Not only are they quick and easy to make, but they are also a great way to make sure you get enough fruits and vegetables. Most of the salads I make are simply the result of whatever I have in my kitchen (or growing in my garden) at that moment.
And speaking of things growing in my garden, I currently have eighteen lettuce plants happily growing away in a sweet, little greenhouse hubby convinced me I needed to have — and thank goodness he did because the weather these last few days has been very confused! One minute there’s a hail storm and the skies are the color of slate, and the next minute it’s sunny and you know summer is definitely not that far away!
But back to salads…
One of my favorite salad recipes is the one I am about to share with you now. Lemony, peppery chicken; toasted chunks of baguette; creamy slices of avocado and zesty sunblush tomatoes — absolute salad heaven!
Grilled Chicken Salad with Sunblush Tomatoes
Serves 3-4
For the dressing:
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp grainy mustard
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- sea salt and freshly-ground pepper, to taste
For the salad:
- 350g chicken breast, cut in thick strips
- lemon zest, salt and plenty of ground pepper
- 4 tbsps mild olive oil
- 150g mixed greens of your choice
- 1 small knob of butter
- 1/4 baguette, halved and cubed
- small handful sunblush tomatoes, chopped
- 1 avocado, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp capers
Season the chicken with the lemon zest, salt and plenty of ground pepper. Drizzle with 3 tbsps of the olive oil and allow to marinate overnight. When ready to assemble the salad, grill the chicken strips for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, heat the other tbsp of the oil and the knob of butter in a frying pan and fry the pieces of bread until golden brown. In a large bowl, whisk the ingredients for the dressing. Throw in the salad leaves and toss to coat. Divide the greens on the plates. Top with the chopped tomatoes, avocado, capers, bread and the grilled chicken. Serve and enjoy!