US
Herby Italian salad with croutons
Prep and cooking time: 30mins-40mins
Complex carb portions, per serving: 0.5
Ingredients
Serves: 4
4 chicken breasts
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 slices of crusty bread, cubed
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tsp mixed Italian herbs
2 tsp white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 lemon
½ tsp1 garlic powder or clove garlic
½ red onion, finely sliced
2 gem lettuce heads, roughly chopped (or 1 bag mixed lettuce leaves)
3 tomatoes, cut into large chunks
160g whole black olives
5-6 jarred green peppers
40g parmesan cheese, shaved
Method
Place the chicken breasts on a sheet of parchment paper, season with salt and pepper and then cover with another sheet of parchment paper. Flatten the chicken breasts with a rolling pin until they’re 2cm thick (this will speed up the cooking process).
Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan, over medium heat.
Fry the chicken breasts until golden brown, roughly 10-12mins depending on the size and thickness. Place on a plate and allow to cool.
In the same pan, add another 2 tbsp of oil and pan-fry the cubed bread until golden and crunchy. Place on a plate and allow to cool.
To make the dressing, in a jar, combine 4 tbsp oil, mayonnaise, herbs, garlic powder, vinegar, ½ lemon juiced, salt and pepper. Shake well to combine.
Place the sliced onion in a small bowl and cover in the juice of the remaining ½ lemon to pickle and soften.
Combine the remaining salad ingredients in a large salad bowl and toss to combine.
To serve, dress the salad with dressing and divide between 4 plates. Serve with sliced chicken breasts and a sprinkle of croutons.
Second Nature special tip
Replace the chicken with roughly 800g of firm tofu. Cut the tofu into ‘steaks’, season with an additional 1 tbsp of Italian herbs and salt and pepper and pan-fry until golden brown.