“A great addition to the Xmas lunch table or a perfect salad for Boxing Day using leftover chicken or turkey”
what you need
for the dressing:
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste
for the salad:
4 x free range organic chicken thighs ( or you can use 2-3 cups of leftover roast chicken or turkey)
1 large sweet potato, diced 2cm pieces
extra virgin olive oil
1 cup cooked quinoa (I used red quinoa)
1 bunch kale, stems removed and chopped
1 x 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ cup parsley, chopped
½ cup dried cranberries
5 dried figs, chopped
½ cup activated pecans, roughly chopped
1 avocado, cubed
80g goats cheese, crumbled
sea salt and cracked pepper
what to do
Preheat oven 200°C. Place chicken thighs into a baking dish with a splash of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Cover with baking paper and bake for 20-25 mins until just cooked through. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 mins. Slice the chicken thighs
Place diced sweet potato in a bowl, add 1-2 tbsp olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Mix so sweet potato is covered with the oil. Spread onto another baking tray and bake for approximately 30 mins or until sweet potato is browned and cooked through. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 mins.
Place the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk to combine.
Place chopped kale in a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt. Massage salt into leaves until kale softens and turns a bit darker in color.
In a another bowl, combine chickpeas, parsley, cranberries, dried figs,pecans, avocado and sweet potato. Toss to combine. Place mixture into bowl with chopped kale.
Add sliced chicken and dressing and stir to combine.
Serve with goats cheese, extra pecans and extra parsley on top. Enjoy!!
