Chicken and lentil salad

Prep time
45min
Cook time
20min
Serves
4

This tangy chicken salad is filling, rich in fibre and packed full of Mediterranean flavours.

Ingredients:

Chicken:

4 x chicken breasts

1 Tbsp (15ml) olive oil

1 Tbsp (15ml) lemon juice

1 tsp (5ml) lemon zest

2 tsp (10ml) honey

1 tsp (5ml) dried thyme

1 tsp (5ml) ginger powder

2 cloves garlic, finely grated

2 tsp (10ml) Dijon mustard

salt and pepper

Salad:

1 x 400g tin brown lentils, drained

1 avocado, sliced

100g dried cranberries

600g rocket

1 cucumber, quartered lengthwise and chopped into 1cm pieces

30g mint, leaves picked

 

Dressing:

 1 Tbsp (15ml) olive oil

2 Tbsp (30ml) lemon juice

 1 Tbsp (15ml) wholegrain mustard

 1 Tbsp (15ml) honey

salt and pepper

Method:

Chicken:

  • Mix the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, honey, thyme, ginger powder, garlic and Dijon mustard in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pat the chicken breasts dry before adding them to the mixture and letting them marinate for 1 hour.
  • Place a large pan on the stove over medium to high heat. Once hot, add the chicken with the marinade. Cook on one side for 3 to 4 minutes, until caramelised, then turn over for 2 minutes.
  • Turn the heat down to low, put the lid on and let the chicken finish cooking slowly for about 7 minutes. Once cooked, put the chicken onto a chopping board to rest for about 8 minutes before slicing into 0.5 to 1cm thick pieces.

Salad:

  • Mix the brown lentils, avocado, dried cranberries, rocket, cucumber and mint in a large serving dish.

Dressing:

  • Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, whole-grain mustard, and honey to make the dressing. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Put the chicken pieces on top of the salad and drizzle the dressing over before serving.