The inspiration for this salad came from a Farro & Quinoa Chicken Salad I had on a Qantas flight a few weeks ago. Whilst farro is delicious and has many health benefits, it is not as easily accessible as couscous, hence the change. I have made many salads with quinoa and wanted to mix things up with couscous, however you could substitute 1 cup couscous for 1 cup quinoa (make sure to thoroughly rinse the quinoa before cooking under cold water using a sieve, then bring the quinoa and 2 cups water to the boil over high heat, covered. Once boiled simmer for around 10 minutes or until all water is absorbed. Turn off the heat and leave the quinoa in the pan, covered, for 5 minutes, before fluffing with a fork). Nigella seeds are hard to come by in supermarkets, so I have used sesame and poppy seeds as an alternate. If you wanted to make this salad vegetarian, omit the chicken and add 400-450g lightly pan fried tofu.
INGREDIENTS
Salad
- 500g chicken breast, preferably free-range, cut into even strips
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 heaped teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 cup couscous or 1 cup quinoa (then substitute 1 cup water for 2 cups)
- 1 cup water
- a dash of sea salt
- 250g cherry tomatoes, halved or 1 large tomato, finely chopped
- 1/2 a continental cucumber, diced
- 2 generous handfuls of baby spinach, washed
- 2 cups frozen peas, thawed
Dressing
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- a generous sprinkle of ground black pepper
- the juice of 1 lime
- water
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds & 1 teaspoon poppy seeds OR 2 teaspoons nigella seeds
COOKING
1. Combine the chicken strips, 1 tablespoon oil and paprika in a medium bowl. Heat a grill plate or a large fry pan over medium high heat until warm, then add the chicken. Cook for around 5-6 minutes, turning the chicken pieces over after 2-3 minutes so that both sides of each strip are cooked. Turn off the stove and leave the chicken to rest for 5 minutes, then cut the largest strip in half to see if the chicken is cooked. (If the inside of the strip is white and no pink remains the chicken is cooked).
2. Meanwhile, cook the couscous by combining 1 cup water, 1 tablespoon oil and a dash of sea salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil, covered, over medium-high heat, then remove from heat. Add the 1 cup couscous and stir vigorously until the ingredients are combined. Cover the pan and leave to stand for 2 minutes, then gently separate the grains with a fork.
3. Place the cooked chicken and couscous in a large serving bowl, then add the tomatoes and baby spinach.
4. Using the saucepan that the couscous was cooked in, fill it up one quarter of the way with water. Bring the water to the boil over high heat, covered, then add the peas and cook for 1 minute or until peas are tender but not mushy. Drain over cold running water, then add the peas to the salad.
5. Whilst the water is boiling in step 4, make the dressing by combining all the ingredients and a splash of water in a cup. Stir well to combine and add more water if you would like a thinner consistency. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well.
Serves / 4
Total Preparation time / 10 minutes
Total Cooking time / max 20 minutes
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