Spiced chicken with lentil salad

This herb and spice-packed chicken lentil salad will have your palate dancing. Full of textures, colours and flavours this recipe is sure to become a favourite.

Salad

Details

2
23
1 hour
Easy

Nutrition per serve

Energy 2714kj
Protein 50.5g
Carbohydrate 55.2g
Total fat 21.1g
Saturated fat 5.9g
Dietary fibre 21.4g
Sodium 183mg

Ingredients

¾ cup (150g) dried green lentils, rinsed, drained

1 clove garlic, peeled, bruised

1 dried bay leaf

¼ butternut pumpkin (500g)

1 small carrot (70g)

1 small beetroot (100g), peeled

1 small red onion (100g), cut into wedges

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon mild paprika

½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

200g (6½-ounce) chicken breast fillet

½ teaspoon each ground coriander and turmeric

½ teaspoon ground cumin, extra

100g (3 ounces) radicchio, shredded

40g (1½ ounces) goat’s cheese, crumbled

1 tablespoon micro red radish leaves

Mustard dressing

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons verjuice (e.g. unripened grape juice)

½ teaspoon dijon mustard

2 teaspoons lime juice

1 small clove garlic, crushed

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F. Grease and line an oven tray with baking paper.
Combine lentils, garlic and bay leaf in a medium saucepan. Cover well with water. Bring to the boil, reduce heat to low; simmer, covered, for 40 minutes or until tender. Drain; discard bay leaf and garlic. Transfer lentils to a large bowl.
Meanwhile, cut pumpkin, carrot and beetroot into 2cm (¾-inch) pieces; combine with onion in a large bowl. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons of the oil; sprinkle with cumin, paprika and thyme, toss well to coat. Spread vegetable mixture on oven tray. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking, or until tender.
Make mustard dressing: Place ingredients in a screw-top jar; shake well to combine. Season with pepper.
Add vegetables, parsley and dressing to lentils; mix well.
Rub remaining oil over the chicken, sprinkle with combined ground coriander, turmeric and extra cumin. Cook chicken on a heated grill plate (or grill or barbecue) over medium-high heat for 5 minutes each side or until cooked through. Remove from heat; stand, covered, for 5 minutes, before slicing.
Arrange radicchio on serving plates, top with lentil salad, chicken, cheese and micro leaves.