Summer chicken salad recipe

Salads often get a bad rap, viewed as a healthy chore rather than a satisfying source of culinary magic. Frequently made palatable by drowning in high-calorie, shop-bought dressings. It’s a travesty. The truth is, salads can be simple, healthy and delicious. And you can ditch that shop-bought dressing for something that won’t use up your daily calorie allowance in one go.

The secret to this salad is the marinade. It keeps the chicken moist and full of flavour, especially when made well in advance. It also adds a rich, deep taste to the entire dish. Be sustainable by choosing local, seasonal produce, which offers flexibility, while the chicken and marinade bring the dish together. This recipe has three easy parts: the chicken marinade, the salad, and the salad dressing. I always choose chicken thighs because they’re more flavourful than chicken breasts.

Ingredients - THE CHICKEN

• 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

• 1 tablespoon good-quality local rapeseed oil (we like Cotswold Gold)

• 1 tablespoon local honey (we like Cotswold- based Merry May Honey)

• 2 tablespoons low-salt soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin

• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt

• 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 3 tablespoons of lime juice and one teaspoon zest

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

THE SALAD

Head down to your local farm shop and pick out some tasty in-season salad. Don’t be stingy, get as many veggies in there as you can.

• New potatoes (we boiled these in advance and let them cool).

• Spring onions • Rocket
• Cucumber
• Lettuce

• Peas

SIMPLE LIME DRESSING FOR SALAD

• 2 tablespoons of lime juice
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 garlic clove crushed
• Salt and pepper

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Method

STEP 1

Combine your marinade ingredients in a bowl, then add your chicken thighs, coating them well.

STEP 2

Cover the bowl and leave it for anything between 1 hour and 12 hours. The sweet spot for me is about 6 hours. Meaning you can prepare in the morning for lunch or dinner.

STEP 3

When ready, cook at 180 degrees for 25 minutes. While the food is cooking, prepare your salad.

SIMPLE LIME DRESSING FOR SALAD

STEP 1

Mix well and add to your salad just before the chicken.

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