Green Chicken Pasta salad
It was Kermit the Frog who once famously exclaimed 'It's not easy being green,' and if you were laying your eyes upon this dish for the first time, you'd be forgiven for feeling tentative about its overwhelming viridescence. But, rest assured, once you get over the snotty aesthetic, you'll discover a pasta salad that really packs a punch. The avocado forms the basis of a sauce which is brought to life through audaciously bold flavour combinations of fresh basil, anchovies and red wine. The end is result is dish that will leave you wondering why you ever doubted it, and will have you sympathising with the prejudices suffered by our amphibious friend, Kermit.
Ingredients (Serves 1):
200g Chicken thighs
50g Fresh fusilli pasta
6 Anchovies
30g Mixed salad leaves
1 Avocado
1 Orange pepper
2tsp Flax seed
30g Basil leaves
1 tbsp of Ground coriander
8tbs Olive oil
20ml Red wine
½ tsp Salt
Cooking Instructions:
1. Peel avocado and cut into four quarters.
2. Slice open and de-seed orange pepper, before cutting length-ways into thin slices.
3. Add avocado pieces, orange pepper pieces, basil leaves, 6tbsp of olive oil and 3tbsp water to blender. Blend until mixture resembles thick green sauce.
4. Add flax seed and coriander, and blend with green sauce until fully smooth. Add extra water if liquid is too thick.
5. Pour out mixture into bowl and set aside.
6. Add 2 tbsp olive oil to a bowl. Put chicken thigh pieces into bowl and turn over until all thigh pieces are fully coated in oil.
7. Heat grill to 165F (75C) and place chicken pieces directly onto grill tray. Cook for 15-20 minutes, turning halfway.
8. Bring 150ml water to the boil. Add fresh pasta and salt. Boil for 4-8 and sample until pasta tastes cooked through.
9. Add green mixture to pan under medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly, to ensure it maintains liquid consistency.
10. Add anchovies and red wine to green sauce, and stir for 4-5 minutes, until flavours are fully absorbed.
11. Scatter salad leaves onto plate, and serve pasta portion directly on top of salad. Add the chicken on top of the pasta, before finally pouring on the desired amount of green sauce.
Recipe Profile:
- Balanced Meal ✓
- 3 of your 5-a-day ✓
- High fibre ✓
- Source of Potassium and Vitamin K ✓
Original Photography
Contributor: Abby Sowden, Sheffield Hallam University, Adult Nursing
"People seem to have this agenda against green food, but this dish is honestly lush! I love the fact I can eat it for dinner, or cook it the night before to save for the following day for lunch. It stays so flavoursome that it doesn't matter whether you eat it hot or cold! A real favourite in the Sowden household"