Chicken, almond and parsley salad

I want to share with you the 2 course lunch I made today. It’s main and dessert. Both totally necessary components to make a satisfying meal. I’m one of those people who would forgo entree in order to have dessert. For me, the main is for the stomach. Dessert is for the heart and soul.

On the menu today was the best salad I have had; even surpassing the Thai beef salad I have been obsessed with for the past few weeks.

Dessert was a tangy, sweet Lemon Tart. All home made, including the tart shell. Jealous? I’ll try not to rub it in... too much. J

The salad has chicken breast marinaded in Marsala and lemon juice. Vinegar is added to the leftover juices in the pan after baking the chicken, to make a gorgeous, smoky vinaigrette.

Combined with the scent of parsley and the added crunch from the almonds, the whole thing becomes a simple, yet extremely yummy meal. Healthy too. Not bad for an afternoon’s work.

As with the lemon tart, well, you’ll just have to wait till the next post...

Ingredients:

Serves 2

1 large chicken breast – usually the ones you get from the chicken shop are quite large and can serve 2. If you are using those bought from supermarkets, then use 1 breast per person

1 tblsp Marsala or other rich sherry

1 tblsp garlic oil

1 tblsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 large bunch of continental parsley

Generous handful sliced almonds – toasted in a dry pan for a few minutes, tossing often, until slightly bronzed

Generous pinch Maldon salt

1 tblsp vinegar – I used apple cider vinegar because that’s what I had on hand, but you can use any mild vinegar you like, though I don’t really like balsamic vinegar here

Method:

Combine Marsala, garlic oil and lemon juice in a zip lock bag, add the chicken, massage a bit and let marinade at room temperature for 15 minutes or in the fridge for an hour.

Preheat oven to 160 degrees.

Empty contents of the zip lock bag into a small roasting tray, including the marinade. Put it in the oven to bake for 40 minutes, basting the chicken a few times.

Test whether chicken is cooked by piercing the thickest part of the breast, if the juices run clear, then it is done. If there are still signs of blood, it needs more time.

Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before cutting into pieces, however you like.

Add the vinegar to the pan juices and whisk together.

Arrange the parsley on plates (this is not used as a herb here, but the actual leafage of the salad).

Add the chicken pieces, scatter over the almonds and salt; and drizzle over the vinaigrette.

Eat to your heart’s content.