This easy healthy rosemary chicken salad with anchovy lemon kale, creamy avocado, and chewy wheat berries is the perfect easy meal made in under 30 minutes.
I got a beautiful gift from my friend last week – a bag of new season lemons from her garden. They are so fresh and juicy! That aroma, I’d like to add it to every dish – to my baked goods, waffles, pasta, and even soup. If you want to make them better—just add lemon zest. So I’ve focused on dishes with lemons this month. Such as this delicious salad that always leaves me wanting more.
In this recipe, you can also find an easy way how to make the most tender and juicy chicken breast.
How to prepare wheat berries. Wheat berries are the whole grain form of wheat – the whole, complete grain before it has undergone any processing. They’re a high-fibre whole grain that can be used much like any other whole grain.
Soak 1/2 cup of dry wheat berry overnight. Transfer drained wheat berries in a medium-size saucepan, add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 40 minutes or until berries are soft but still chewy.
Ingredients
2 Serves
- a big bunch of curly kale, stems removed
- 2 organic chicken breasts, skinless
- 1/2 cup pomegranate arils
- 1 ripe avocado, sliced and drizzled with lemon juice
- 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
- 1 cup of cooked wheat berries
- pea shoots to garnish
- pink peppercorns
For Chicken Marinade:
- zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- sea salt
- black pepper
For Lemon Vinaigrette:
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 anchovy fillet, minced
- 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive oil
- juice of a small lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- sea salt
- black pepper
To serve:
char-grilled lemon
Directions
- Chicken. Wash the chicken breasts and pat dry using a paper towel. Score chicken breasts using a sharp knife for evenly cooking and to allow the marinade to penetrate deeper.
- Mix all ingredients for the marinade in the mortar and mix using a pestle until it turns into aromatic oil. Combine aromatic oil and the chicken in a mixing bowl, gently rub the aromatic oil into the chicken. Marinate for about 15 minutes. You can also marinate the chicken in a zip lock bag for up to 8 hours in the refrigerator, flipping the bag occasionally during the day.
- Preheat the oven up to 190C.
- Preheat cast-iron skillet thoroughly over medium-high heat. Place room temperature chicken breasts in and cook until brown on both sides. Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook for about 7-10 minutes. Cooking time can be vary depending on the size of chicken breasts. For the best results, I would recommend using a meat thermometer, the chicken is ready when internal temperature reaches at least 74oC.
- Kale. Start by removing the ribs from the kale and trimming it of any big thick stems. Mix all ingredients for the lemon vinaigrette in the bowl using a whisk. In a large mixing bowl put the kale and lemon dressing. Using clean hands start massaging the kale salad and continue to do this for about 1-2 minutes. Taste the salad and adjust the seasoning accordingly.
- Transfer kale to a serving dish. Top with the avocado slices. Slice the roasted chicken breasts and arrange on top of the salad. Sprinkle the salad with wheat berries, toasted pine nuts, pomegranate arils and pink peppercorns. Garnish with pea shoots. Serve warm or chilled with half of the charred lemon. Enjoy!
