Chicken and Bacon Salad with Tenderstem Broccoli

It is beautifully warm and it feels like summer but unfortunately I’ve been cooped up at work.  It’s rather miserable normally but even more so when you have to watch the blue sky through a window.  The hours dissapear and the nice weather with it! So to cheer myself up I come home and lose myself in cooking.  I made a delicious salad this week which is perfect for a warm day.

I like to make salads on days when perhaps I haven’t got as much time to spend cooking after work.  Generally salads are simple, you prepare your components and then throw them together.  This recipe is no different, although some elements require a little cooking, but it’s still easy.

I used to think the salad we had when we lived at home was the only type of salad you could have, usually including salad leaves, peppers, tomatoes and cucumber, until I looked outside the box and started to experiment when I left home.  I’m not saying that simple isn’t good, sometimes you need simple; but sometimes a change is good.

I like to make the most of the contrast between hot and cold in food.  The cold salad leaves and hard boiled egg against the warmth of the meat and tenderstem broccoli is really really nice.

Both the rocket and watercress are strong and peppery and work well with the softness in the other components of this salad.  Tenderstem broccoli is (as the name gives away) so tender that you don’t even have to cook it, although I chose to steam it in this recipe.  It doesn’t even need any prep, just cook as it is! It is a more expensive ingredient but as always you can substitute for normal broccoli.  Finally, I cannot forget to mention that the dressing really does add the finishing touch to this flavour filled salad.    

I can’t stop ranting about how delicious this is, every part of it brings something different to the table (excuse the pun).

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Chicken and Bacon Salad with Tenderstem Broccoli

 

Ingredients

Serves 4

4 eggs (hard boiled with shells removed)

150 g sping onions (sliced)

4 or 5, about 500 g, boneless chicken thighs or chicken breast (cut into rough chunks)

150 g streaky bacon (sliced)

250 g tenderstem broccoli

70 g rocket

85 g watercress

 

For the dressing

1/2 tsp mustard

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

 

Method

In a large pan fry the spring onions for 2 minutes.  Add the chicken and bacon to the pan and let this cook for about 7 to 10 minutes (draining any liquid halfway through) until the chicken is longer pink.  Take off the heat and allow to cool slightly.

Steam the tenderstem broccoli for 3 minutes.  Slice the hard boiled egg in half length-ways. To make the dressing mix the mustard, white wine vinegar and olive oil.

Plate up a mix of watercress and rocket on each plate, along with the chicken, bacon, the spring onions, tenderstem broccoli and the boiled egg.  Pour over the dressing to taste, season and serve.

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Did you love my Chicken and Bacon Salad with Tenderstem Broccoli recipe?

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