Puy Lentil Chicken Salad with Apple and Hazelnuts
Photography by Josh Griggs.
Puy lentils are my go-to base for a range of salads. This one’s topped with tender chicken, juicy slices of apple and crunchy hazelnuts with a tangy mustard dressing.
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
4 single chicken breasts, skin on
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
oil and butter, for cooking
1 cup puy lentils, cooked
2 cos lettuces, cut into wedges through the stem
1–2 braeburn apples, quartered, cored and thinly sliced
400 grams assorted greens – choose one or a selection of green beans, snow peas and sugar snaps, blanched
⅓ cup roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
Dressing
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
sea salt and ground pepper
METHOD
Dressing: Whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl and season.
Salad: Season the chicken on both sides and sprinkle with caraway seeds.
Heat a little oil and butter in a sauté pan and cook the chicken until fully cooked through. Set aside.
Toss the lentils with 2 tablespoons of the dressing and season generously with salt and pepper.
To serve: Divide the lentils between plates. Top with the lettuce wedges, apple, the green vegetables and sliced chicken.
Drizzle the dressing over the top, then scatter with hazelnuts and a grind of pepper.
Pantry note: Puy lentils are a small dark green lentil with a slight peppery flavour and hold their shape during cooking. They are the only lentil to be identified by area of cultivation – grown in the Le Puy region of France. To cook, cover with plenty of cold water, bring to the boil and cook until just tender but still with a little bite. Drain and rinse under cold water then drain well.
latest issue:
Issue #114
Autumn has arrived, and with it, the latest issue of dish, jam-packed with recipes that will have you fizzing to get in the kitchen! With a long Easter lunch featuring perfectly pink, blushing roast leg of lamb and wildly decadent baked mashed potatoes with caramelised onions, to simply scrumptious chocolate treats and sensational seasonal baking this issue has you covered - we reckon the Hot Cross Buns are our best yet! Salads make way for soothing soups, pies, puddings and our cover star beef cheek ragù with spaghetti – a must-make dinner for family and friends. With over 60 recipes in our latest issue there’s plenty of inspiration to keep you busy – and well-fed! Don’t forget to share your dish dishes with our Facebook community.