 Mainly called the Ruby Chicken Salad due to the use of either strawberries or pomegranates in this recipe. Made once, was blown away, made a few more times a delight each time. There’s the slightly cooked greens, the absolutely raw greens, the crunch from the almond, the substantial chicken pieces and the bright notes of fruit all in one. The balsamic dressing goes perfectly with the fruit. I absolutely loathe boring salads and have a strange disdain for large leaves of salad in my bowl. You’ll find neither in this one. What You Need: Kale (any kind you like), thinly sliced Brussel Sprouts, thinly sliced Baby Spinach Shallot, peeled and thinly sliced into half moons Strawberries (sliced) or pomegranates Chicken breast Any choice of dried mixed herbs/ras al hanout Some grated parmesan Almond slivers, toasted The dressing: Chopped garlic Dijon mustard Balsamic vinegar Salt Extra virgin olive oil *how much of these things to do you need? Oh man, I don’t know. It’s a salad. Free and easy I guess. Like kale? Use more kale. Want a lot of chicken? Use more chicken. As for the dressing, taste and adjust as you go. What You Do: 1. First, preheat the oven at 180degC. Turn up the heat of your pan/griller too. 2. Slather the chicken breast with your choice of herbs and salt. Any type will do, although I prefer either rosemary or ras el hanout for stronger flavour. When pan/griller is hot, start grilling the chicken. Only for a few minutes until chicken is cooked through (no dry breasts please). Remove, and let cool before you chop into rough bite-sized pieces. 3. Place the kale and brussel sprouts as a layer in your baking tray, and into the over for about 10 minutes. You want them to be slightly cooked down, with slight brown edges. Don’t burn them. 4. Place the kale and brussel sprouts in a large mixing bowl, together with the shallots, spinach, strawberries/pomegranate. In the picture, I was using strawberries. 5. Add a two tablespoons of the dressing and toss well. Then add the chicken pieces and grated parmesan, one more tablespoon of the dressing and toss again. The secret to good salads is the tossing time. Spend at least a minute doing this. 6. Tumble everything on a large plate, and sprinkle over the toasted almonds. Serve as a big sharing platter, or it always tastes good as a TV dinner. |
