Generally I am not a big fan of salads. When I was young, my mom used to put a lot of things in the salad (like cheese cubes, cucumber, tomatoes, and so on), but now I live alone I end up with lots of left overs from all the ingredients. So salads end up to be a bit more boring and often I am done after 5 bites or so.
This salad however is super simple as far as the ingredients go, but the combination of the chicken and the dressing made me fell in love. It still gives you some leftovers, but way less than a big filled salad.
You will need:
- small bag of cut iceberg lettuce
- 5 cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 of a cucumber
- 1/4 of an avocado
- 1 chicken breast (or use some vegetarian/ fake chicken strips)
- handful of basil leaves
- lemon juice (I use the bottled one, saves a lot of money)
- dried coriander
- cayenne pepper
- garlic powder
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
Let’s get started!
- If your iceberg is not washed yet, do this first, so it can drain for a bit while prepping the rest.
- Slice the chicken breast into strips and put it in a zip-lock bag. Add a teaspoon of olive oil, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, a pinch each of coriander, cayenne and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and close the bag. Now shake and knead it until the marinade is covering the chicken strips. Put aside. You can also do this the day before. Store in the fridge if you do so.
- Wash your cucumber and cherry tomatoes. Slice the cucumber in half and cut into little moon- ish shapes. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Slice 1/4 of the avocado into small cubes.
- Heat a skillet and add the chicken strips. You don’t need to add any oil! Bake on medium- high until brown on both sides. Turn in between and check if it is properly cooked before serving!
- Take all the basil leaves off the stem and wash. Then finely cut them and add to a small bowl. Add about 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Season to taste with salt & pepper and whisk with a fork.
- Time to build! Add the vegetables to a plate or bowl, dress with the lemon- basil dressing and add the chicken strips. Enjoy!
Some suggestions for the leftovers:
- Eat the rest of the cherry tomatoes/ cucumber as a snack
- Use the tomatoes/ cucumber in another salad. A cauliflower couscous salad for example.
- Mash the leftover avocado and put it on a slice of toasted bread with some salt on top, yumm!
- Make caprese snack skewers with cherry tomatoes, mozzarella balls and some basil leaves (if you have some left)
- Sub the iceberg for some cooked penne for a summer pasta salad!
What is your favorite salad? Is there any dish you don’t like at all?
Miek
one 