Lemon chicken salad with crunchy croutons
A versatile and substantial main-meal salad – serve it just warm. A lovely summer lunch, or take along to a picnic
-
Prep:15 mins
Cook:20 mins
- Serves 4
- Easy
Nutrition per serving
-
kcal 695
-
fat 39g
-
saturates 6g
-
carbs 41g
-
sugars 9g
-
fibre 6g
-
protein 45g
-
salt 2.99g
Ingredients
- 4 boneless chicken breast fillets
- juice and grated zest of 1 lemon (keep separate)
- 2 tbsp chopped rosemary
- 1 small focaccia loaf
- 2 tbsp grated pecorino or parmesan
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 Little Gem lettuce hearts, separated
- 2 ripe avocados, halved, stoned and sliced
- 6 roasted peppers (from a jar), drained and roughly chopped
- small bunch chives, snipped
Method
Heat oven to 200c/fan 180c/gas 6. Sit the chicken breasts snugly in a small roasting tin, then drizzle over half of the lemon juice. Sprinkle over the lemon zest, rosemary and some salt and pepper. Roast for 20 mins until golden brown and cooked through.
Meanwhile, cut the focaccia into bite-size cubes and spread out on a baking sheet. Sprinkle over the cheese and bake for 15 mins, turning occasionally until crunchy and golden.
Lift out the chicken and thickly slice. Stir the remaining lemon juice and the olive oil into the tin, scraping up any nice brown bits from the bottom. Place the chicken in a very large serving bowl with the lettuce leaves, avocado, croûtons, peppers and chives. Add the lemony juices, toss well together, then serve just warm.
