I came across this chicken salad recipe online and found it interesting, I have made it numerous times with the chicken and more frequently without. The dressing is the actual success story of this salad, it is for those that like spicy/chillie hot and tangy all in one place. The dressing can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Ingredients
For the dressing
- 3 tbs chillie sauce (West Indian, Sambal oelek, Sriracha) or 2 tbs chillie flakes
- half tsp salt
- 2 tbs honey (or brown sugar)
- 4 tsps oregano
- 4 tbs fresh coriander
- 3 tbs Lime juice or vinegar
- 1 tsp crushed black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic
- 5 tbs virgin olive oil
For the salad
- 300 gm (4 cups) Romaine lettuce (or lettuce of choice)
- 2 medium sized tomatoes or 20 cherry tomatoes
- 1 medium sized red onion
- 1 English cucumber
- 1 large avocado
- 500g/1lb boneless chicken cut in long slices
Method
- Place all of the ingredients for the dressing except the oil into a chopper or a blender, blitz and run until the ingredients are well mixed together, the mixture doesn’t need to be too fine,
- Transfer the mixture from the chopper into a jar, add the olive oil and shake well together until an emulsion is formed.
- Add 2 tbs of the dressing to the chicken and marinade for 30 minutes, store the rest of the dressing in the refrigerator.
- Stir-fry the chicken in a wok with 1 tbs of oil, keep aside when cooked through.
- Wash lettuce leaves, roughly dry with kitchen paper or use a salad spinner. Remove into a large bowl.
- Chop the tomatoes/cut cherry tomatoes into half, chop onions and cucumber and add to the bowl with the lettuce.
- Just before serving, add 4 tbs of the dressing and gently toss the salad, cut avocado into cubes and add to the salad, top with cooked chicken and serve warm.
