Читать книгу My Virgin Kitchen: Delicious recipes you can make every day - Barry Lewis - Страница 17

CAPRESE CHICKEN SALAD

A super-speedy, refreshing chicken salad inspired by the traditional ‘Caprese’ combination of tomatoes, basil and mozzarella. Here I’ve added baked pesto chicken and a drizzle of balsamic for a deliciously light, yet filling salad.

READY IN 30 MINUTES

SERVES 4

butter, for greasing

400g mini chicken fillets

3 tbsp pesto

300g cherry tomatoes (a mix of yellow and red cherry tomatoes works really well)

2 x 125g mozzarella balls

small bunch of basil leaves

olive oil, for drizzling

balsamic vinegar, for drizzling to taste

salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Gas mark 4 and lightly grease a baking dish with some butter.

2. Put the mini chicken fillets into the dish, add the pesto and use a spatula to push the fillets around until they are all coated with pesto. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until fully cooked through. Transfer to a chopping board and leave to cool for a few minutes before slicing into chunks.

3. Meanwhile cut the tomatoes into quarters, removing the seeds if you wish, and tip into a large bowl. Cut or tear your mozzarella into small chunks, tear the basil leaves into smaller pieces and add both to the bowl too. Drizzle over some olive oil, season with salt and pepper and and stir well to combine.

4. Tip the salad into a serving dish and put the chicken pieces on top. Finish with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and serve.

VIRGIN TIP

Mini fillets are used here for the shorter baking time – you can use chicken breasts or thighs but you’ll need to increase the baking time to make sure they’re cooked through.