We're currently going through something of a heatwave here in the U.K. - June 2017 - and salads are definitely in. However, because I wanted to try and make salad eating something good as opposed to something yawn-inducing (oh come on, you know it can be!), I've been experimenting with some rather out of the box kinds of salads and this one is by far the best we've tried (so far!).
The original inspiration came from the good old BBC Good Food website, as very often happens. Their version of the salad can be found here and from that you'll be able to see that I've added a little and taken away a little from the original, but it is still very close.
Yes, it requires a little bit of work before time with marinating the chicken but I also recommend that you wash your lettuce and put it in an inflated freezer bag in the fridge to crisp up. Doing this makes all the difference to a crisp, crunchy salad.
When you get down to preparing dinner, it really is just a matter of chopping and building the salad, then spending a moment or two grilling the chicken, slicing, garnishing and hey presto - dinner is on the plate. It really is as easy as that.
I've divided the recipe up into three sections, to make it easier to see what should be used for what. I hope that proves helpful.
As for Cook's Tips, the only recommendation I have for you is that you chop up the salad before cooking the chicken. You can always put the salad back into the fridge while the chicken is cooking, so as to keep everything fresh and crunchy. Then, once the chicken is done it can rest and cool a little while you quickly plate up the salad items.
I can see that this is going to be a regular fall-back salad for blisteringly hot days. My menfolk thought it was delicious and professed themselves keen to see it again very soon!
CHICKEN SATAY SALAD (serves 3)
Ingredients :
For the chicken
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp curry powder of your choice (I used a medium)
half a tsp of ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
2 tsp runny honey.
For the sauce
1.5 tbsp peanut butter (crunchy or smooth, it's up to you, but a sugar free version is good)
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
juice of 1 lime
cold water, as required.
For the salad
a selection of salad leaves (I used Romaine and Iceberg lettuces)
a large vine tomato, halved and sliced
cucumber, sliced thickly and halved (two slices/four halves per person)
small seedless green grapes (5-6 per person)
half a red onion, sliced finely
cooked beetroot wedges (four per person)
mustard & cress
fresh parsley, chopped
3 tbsp dry roasted peanuts.
Method :
At least one hour before you are due to begin cooking, marinate the chicken.
Place the soy sauce, curry powder, cumin, garlic and honey into a large bowl and mix well.
Taking each chicken breast, run your knife horizontally through from the thickest end to the thinnest, creating two thin fillets. Plate the fillets into the marinade and stir well, to ensure every little bit is coated. Cover with cling film and refrigerate until required.
When it is time to cook, begin by mixing up the satay sauce. In a medium sized bowl, add the peanut butter, sweet chilli sauce and lime juice and stir together. Continue to stir, adding small amounts of cold water, until you have a dropping consistency. Set aside.
Next, build each salad onto the plate starting with the salad leaves. Create a small mound of these in the centre of the plate.
Divide the slices of tomato between the three plates, placing the tomato around the outside of the leaves.
Dot the salad leaves with cucumber half slices, then the grapes, then sprinkle the red onion over.
Add the beetroot wedges to the side of the plate.
Sprinkle everything with the mustard & cress.
Next, lay each fillet of chicken onto a foil lined baking sheet and cook under a hot grill (or broiler, if you're in the USA) until just cooked. Turn the chicken over and cook the other side the same way. This should only take 6-7 minutes each side. Check the chicken is cooked through, by cutting into the thickest part and if you can see any sign of pinkness in the juices, put it back under the grill until the pinkness is gone.
Slice the chicken and lay it on top of the salad, while the chicken is still warm.
Drizzle spoonfuls of the satay sauce over the chicken and into the salad - be generous, as the sauce is divine.
Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and the dry roasted peanuts.
Settle down somewhere cool - and tuck in!
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And when I say "my new favourite thing", I'm talking about it being right up there alongside Nasi Goreng and Shepherd's Pie. Now THAT is high praise indeed.
I don't mind admitting that I was a wee bit intimidated by this recipe. You see, I had attempted a Pad Thai a very long time ago - before I started blogging, so around seven or eight years ago - and it was a singular failure. Having just cooked the dish again, I can see that first go didn't work because I didn't understand the first thing about any of the ingredients. However, without the benefit of getting a good one under my belt, I was a bit worried that it would fail again.
Coming out the other side of having completed an outstandingly successful rendition of Pad Thai, I now haven't a clue what I was worried about as it was incredibly simple to make. However, you do need to have your mise en place done before you begin to cook, as you cook at such a pace that you really have no time in which to turn around and chop a spring onion, for instance. That, and overcooking the noodles in a big way, are much of the reason why the first one didn't work.
Having everything chopped, squeezed, measured out and ready to go is essential. You almost need to put everything in order, the cooking goes that quickly. However, once you've got everything ready, the cooking is fabulously simple and the results spectacular.
I've seen lots of different Pad Thai recipes, some ask for tamarind, some for coconut milk. This one doesn't ask for any of those things, it keeps things clean and simple with just fish sauce, oyster sauce and gorgeous lime juice to stitch all the other flavours together.
I used John Torode's recipe from BBC Good Food as the guide for this recipe but several things are different and because of that things happen in a slightly different order, so I decided to blog the recipe so as not to lose it. The original recipe is here if you are curious. I think my version just simplifies things a little bit further.
The only Cook's Tip I have for you is what I have already stated - get your chopping, peeling and squeezing done before you start cooking!
So, onwards to major, serious, deliciousness and clean, wholesome eating.
PRAWN PAD THAI (serves 2-3)
Ingredients :
200g rice noodles, the white, vermicelli style
2 tbsp olive or coconut oil
2 eggs, beaten
pinch of sea salt & black pepper
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 large lime, juice only
6 spring onions, sliced diagonally
1 red chilli (leave the seeds in for additional heat)
200g beansprouts
15g coriander, chopped to include the stems
250g cooked coldwater prawns, drained
100g dry roasted peanuts, chopped slightly.
Method :
To begin, set a saucepan of water to boil. Once boiling, add the rice noodles and remove from the heat. As soon as the noodles have softened, but before being fully cooked - around a minute and a half - drain well and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside to drain fully.
Add a pinch of sea salt & black pepper to the beaten egg and stir through. Heat the oil in a wok over a moderate heat and once the oil appears to shimmer slightly, add the beaten egg and stir gently to form an omelette. Reduce the heat to low, so as not to burn the underside of the omelette and once formed and set, remove from the pan with a slotted spoon so as to keep the majority of the oil in the pan, onto a plate to keep warm.
Still over a gentle heat, add the chopped garlic to the wok and stir fry it very gently until the pieces have turned a gentle golden colour. Don't rush this process, or the garlic will burn and become bitter. Slow and steady wins the day.
Next, add the sugar, fish sauce, oyster sauce and lime juice, along with the spring onions, chilli, beansprouts and three quarters of the coriander. Increase the heat to moderate and stir regularly as the onions soften and cook. This should take no more than around 4-5 minutes.
Add the cooked prawns, the drained noodles and a third of the peanuts and stir and toss to combine and heat through. Keep the contents of the pan moving, so that nothing catches on the underside and the noodles combine well with the other ingredients.
Once well mixed, serve into warmed bowls and garnish with the remaining peanuts and chopped coriander.
Tuck in and enjoy!
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