Complete cliche, but there is truly nothing more comforting than the smell of roasting chicken. However in the summer, I do not crave a roast dinner and am much more inclined to make a jam-packed salad in which roast chicken is the star. I basically cook a version of this salad every week of my life, and pair it with various fruits & veg. This rec
The best thing is you get to enjoy delicious chicken leftovers for the next 3ish days! I tend to turn them into office lunches, such as a shredded chicken salad or make a healthy midweek dinner by turning it into a spicy tomato stew with paprika, peppers and chilli then enjoying over grains or a sweet potato!
Anyways, enough rambling, the true genius of this salad is the roasted garlic dressing which is simply the roasted garlic whisked with lemon, the meat’s roasting juices and a few chilli flakes!
Serves 4 or 1 (with plenty left for leftovers)
Ingredients
1 small or medium whole free range chicken
1 whole clove of garlic
1 whole lemon
Chicken seasoning
Olive oil
Garlic powder
Paprika
Harissa
Chilli flakes
Dried oregano
Roasted veg:
Onions
Sweet potato
Red pepper
Fruit:
Peach segments
Mango
Fresh raw veg:
Baby gem lettuce or spinach
Courgette ribbons
Avocado
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Celery
Nuts:
Pine nuts
Hazelnuts
Herbs:
Fresh mint
Fresh parsley
Additional fun extras
Gherkins
Anchovies
Pickled onions (see recipe in)
Olives
Dressing:
Chicken resting juices
Roasted garlic
Juice of one lemon
Pepper
Chilli flakes
Method
Mix together your chicken seasoning with olive oil and rub all other the bird, get really stuck in and make sure its well coated
Stuff half a lemon inside the chicken
Cover with plenty of salt and black pepper and roast in the oven for the recommended time, ie. a small bird is around 1hour10.
Prepare your roasted veg on a tray. A top tip if you are including sweet potatoes is to give them once chopped a quick 3 minute blast in the microwave so that it cooks at the same time as your other veg. Cover the veg with seasoning and olive oil and roast for 40 minutes.
Chop your raw salad ingredients, and toss together in your platter
Toast your nuts, and chop your herbs, set aside and leave to finish off the dish
Remove chicken in the oven and leave to sit for at least 10 mins
After the chicken has sat, make your dressing. Squeeze the garlic into a bowl, pour in the chicken juice, squeeze in the lemon and add chilli flakes & black pepper
Bring your salad together, layering the shredded chicken pieces and roasted veg
Finish with your herbs, nuts and dressing!
