This Grilled Chicken & Mushroom Salad on Romesco Sauce recipe, made with simple ingredients is perfect for make-ahead lunches and everything you could hope for in a light lunch. Did I also mention, it’s healthy and packed with lots of flavour.
*Serves 4*
Ingredients:
Romesco sauce:
2 large / 3 medium red bell peppers
1 Tbsp olive oil
75g blanched almonds, roughly chopped
75g sun-dried tomatoes
1 clove garlic
1 Tbsp sherry vinegar
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
½ tsp salt
60g olive oil
Salad:
2 large free-range chicken breasts
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1 tsp onion powder
250g portabellini mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbsp sherry vinegar
150g mixed lettuce leaves
125g cherry tomatoes, halves
100g cucumber, sliced
50g edamame beans, shelled
1 small shallot, sliced thinly
2 limes, halved, for serving
Salt and pepper, to taste
Olive oil, for cooking
Method:
For the romesco sauce:
Preheat oven onto grill setting and move rack to top third.
Slice peppers into quarters away from the seeds, removing any white membrane.
Place pieces skin side up on a baking tray.
Drizzle with a little olive oil and rub into the peppers.
Grill for 15 minutes until blistered, charred and soft.
Quickly place peppers in a bowl and cover with cling film.
Allow to steam until cool and then scrape the skins off with a knife.
Place the rest of the ingredients, minus the olive oil, in a blender.
Blend the ingredients together well and then slowly drizzle in the olive oil.
A bit of texture in this sauce is lovely so do not blend too smooth.
Taste to adjust seasoning.
If you would like it smoother, add a splash of cold water and blend further.
Set sauce aside in the fridge until serving.
For the rest of the salad:
Heat a cast iron grill pan or braai.
In a bowl – drizzle the chicken breasts with a little olive oil.
Scatter over the paprika and onion powder.
Season well with salt and pepper.
Mix to coat well.
Grill the chicken breasts until lightly charred and cooked through.
Set aside to rest.
Heat a large frying pan on medium-high heat.
Add a drizzle of olive oil.
When hot, add the mushrooms.
Cook until golden brown.
Season with salt, pepper and sherry vinegar.
To assemble the salad:
Spread some romesco sauce onto the bottom of four shallow bowls.
Drizzle over a little olive oil.
Slice chicken and add to a mixing bowl with the mushrooms and the rest of the salad ingredients.
Toss briefly.
Plate onto the romesco sauce.
Serve with a generous squeeze of fresh lime juice and enjoy!
