Chef’s Chicken Salad with Quinoa

Fingers crossed for nice weather – this is a great salad to take on a picnic or to make for a barbecue; but keep it chilled until you are ready to serve. You can change the main ingredients such as using salmon instead of chicken, or make it vegetarian.

Serves 2

PREPARATION TIME 15 minutes

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

½ tsp dijon mustard

juice of 1 small lime

100g quinoa, cooked and drained

¼ large fresh red chilli, chopped

2 spring onions, sliced diagonally (including the green part)

1 small red pepper, deseeded and finely chopped

2 tbsp edamame beans or peas, cooked

20g dried sour cherries, cranberries or sultanas

a small handful of parsley or coriander, chopped, plus extra to serve

150g cooked chicken, thinly sliced or pulled from the legs of leftover poached or roasted chicken

freshly ground black pepper

• spinach and watercress or micro salad leaves, to serve
• Whisk together the oil, dijon mustard and lime juice.
• In a large bowl, fluff up the quinoa with a fork and mix in the rest of the ingredients until the chicken, then add the mustard dressing. (You can mix in the chicken at this stage if you like, but it looks nicer if you put it on top to serve.)
• Place the chicken on top, season well with black pepper and a few more herbs, then serve with the spinach and watercress or micro salad leaves.

Nutrition Tip

Parsley is a rich source of vitamin C. Quinoa is packed with protein, contains all nine essential amino acids and is high in fibre which can keep you fuller and more satisfied. Dietary fibre can also be helpful to regulate the digestive system and can help you manage your diabetes.

ENERGY 457kcals PROTEIN 33g FAT 16g SATURATED FAT 2.2g

CARBOHYDRATE 43g TOTAL SUGARS 14g SALT 0.1g SODIUM 54mg FIBRE 8.8g