Blackened chicken, kale and tahini salad
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 10 to 30 mins
- Serve
- Serves 4
This dish has lots of elements, but it is super easy to throw together and there is very little cooking. It's a really nutritious and hearty salad to make for meal prepped lunches.
For this recipe you will need a blender or pestle and mortar.
Each serving provides 738 kcal, 48.9g protein, 26.3g carbohydrate (of which 15g sugars), 45.4g fat (of which 9.5g saturates), 13.6g fibre and 3.85g salt.
Ingredients
For the blackened chicken
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp salt
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the green sauce
For the tahini dressing
- 6 tbsp tahini
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1–2 small garlic cloves, grated
- pinch of salt
For the salad
- 4 large handfuls kale, finely chopped
- 4 handfuls lettuce, such as Romaine or Little Gem, chopped
- 2 large carrots, peeled and shredded or julienned
- 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
- 20 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 8 radishes, thinly sliced
- 80g/3oz tinned sweetcorn (drained weight)
- 400g tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 tbsp chopped pickled jalapeños
- 4 tbsp chopped pickled red onions
- 1 small bunch fresh coriander, chopped
- 100g/3½oz feta, crumbled
Method
To make the chicken, pound the chicken with a meat mallet or rolling pin to an even thickness (or butterfly the breast). Mix the oil and spices in a bowl, then coat the chicken with the spice mixture and set aside.
To make the green sauce, put all of the ingredients in a blender or pestle and mortar. Blend or pound until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, loosen it with an extra splash of olive oil. Taste to check the seasoning, adding more salt or lemon juice if needed. Set aside.
To make the tahini dressing, put all of the ingredients in a jug. Whisk together to combine. Gradually whisk in 60–120ml/2¼–4fl oz cold water, a tablespoon at a time, until the dressing is creamy and pourable. Set aside.
Heat a griddle pan over a medium–high heat. Cook the chicken for 5–6 minutes per side until lightly charred and cooked through. Rest for a few minutes then slice.
To make the salad, toss the kale with a bit of the tahini dressing in a large bowl. Add the lettuce, carrot, cucumber, tomatoes, radish, sweetcorn, beans, jalapeños, onions and coriander. Drizzle over the rest of the tahini dressing and toss again.
Split the salad between four plates and top with the sliced chicken, 1–2 tbsp of the green sauce and finish with crumbled feta. Serve immediately.
Recipe tips
If you have leftover green sauce, store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3–4 days. If it thickens, loosen with a splash of oil or water before using. It also works really well on eggs, in sandwiches or fish/prawns.
If meal prepping the salad, keep the chicken, salad base, dressing, green sauce and feta all separate and combine everything just before eating.
