I love salad. Perhaps even more than soup. Maybe. Perhaps it’s equal. Either way, it’s a lot.
Salads generally gets me through the hot, disgusting Sydney summers, and then when it turns bitterly cold, I invariably feel a sense of loss. And then I realised the glory that is a warm salad!
Like most of it’s ilk, this recipe is extremely versatile and forgiving – it’s really just roasted veggies and some chicken. But tossed together with the right dressing, it is so much more. It’s complex, and warming, and filling, and makes you feel a little smug because look how healthy it is!
It’s barely adapted from Taste, but the addition of cauliflower was due to having less broccoli than I thought, and was a more than welcome addition to the mix. I also use a lot less oil than the original, because I don’t enjoy the taste of food that is drowning in oil – even the healthy, high quality oils.
Ingredients
500g chicken tenderloin, breast or thigh (I used a bit of breast and thigh)
2tbsp olive oil
1tsp mince garlic
1tsp dried basil
500g sweet potato, cubed
200g broccoli, cut into large florets
200g califlower, cut into large florets
200g mushrooms, sliced
1 quarter red cabbage
1tbs red wine vinegar
1tsp brown sugar
1tbs wholegrain mustard
Method
- Preheat oven to 200C.
- Slice chicken into tenderloin-sized strips, if using breast or thigh. Combine 1/2tbs oil, garlic and basil and rub over chicken. Cover and set for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine broccoli, caulifower and sweet potato with 1tbs oil. Arrange on a baking tray in a single layer, and roast for 25 minutes on the bottom level of oven.
- Heat frypan over medium high heat, and cook chicken for 10 minutes, turning every few minutes. Remove from pan and cover with aluminium foil to rest.
- In the same pan, add cabbage and mushrooms. Combine well and cook over medium heat for 4 minutes, until mushrooms have softened.
- In a small jug, combine remaining oil, vinegar, sugar and mustard.
- Combine chicken and vegetables in a salad bowl. Pour over dressing and toss to combine.
