Griddled pineapple & chicken salad with nam jim dressing

A fresh and fruity, low calorie salad with Thai-inspired flavours. Blanching the chillies keeps all the flavour but removes some of the stinging heat

  • Cook:15 mins
  • Serves 4
  • Easy

Nutrition per serving

  • kcal 326
  • fat 12g
  • saturates 2g
  • carbs 22g
  • sugars 20g
  • fibre 5g
  • protein 29g
  • salt 1.8g

Ingredients

  • 100g green beans, topped
  • 3 skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 small pineapple
  • 1 tbsp groundnut oil
  • small bunch mint, leaves picked
  • ½ small bunch coriander, leaves picked
  • 100g beansprouts
  • 50g honey-roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
  • 150g cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 3 red bird's-eye chillies, deseeded and roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp palm sugar or soft light brown sugar
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • ½ small bunch coriander, roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 limes, zested and juiced
  • 1 tbsp groundnut oil

Method

  1. Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the beans, cook for 30 secs, then scoop out with a slotted spoon and plunge straight into cold water. Bring the water back to the boil, add the chicken breasts, then reduce the heat to a gentle bubble. After 3 mins, remove the pan from the heat but leave the chicken to continue poaching for 10 mins. Check the chicken is cooked through, then drain or poach for a few mins more if necessary.

  2. Peel the pineapple and cut through the core into quarters. Cut out and discard the core, then thinly slice. Heat a griddle pan until very hot. Brush the pineapple slices with a little oil and cook for 1-2 mins each side until charred and just starting to soften. Transfer to a plate.

  3. For the dressing, put the chillies in a small bowl, cover with kettle-hot water and set aside for 5 mins. Put the sugar, garlic and coriander in a mortar and pound to a paste with a pestle. Drain the chilli, add to the mortar, then pound again. Stir in the remaining dressing ingredients and taste to make sure you have a good balance of hot, sweet, sour and salty – adjust with more chilli, sugar, lime or sh sauce, if you like.

  4. Shred the chicken and pile onto a platter with the remaining salad ingredients. Drizzle with the dressing and toss together just before serving.

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