Hearts of palm & chicken chopped salad

 

Ingredients

• 2 free-range skinless chicken breasts
• 1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 30 g pumpkin seeds
• olive oil
• 1 teaspoon runny honey
• 1 ripe mango
• 1 x 400 g tin of hearts of palm , (see tip)
• 2 ripe avocados
• 2 little gem lettuces
• 75 g wild rocket
• 2 limes
• extra virgin olive oil
• 40 g feta cheese
• 1 punnet of coriander cress , (see tip)

 

Method

1. Place the chicken breasts on a large sheet of greaseproof paper, a few centimetres apart, and sprinkle with the paprika and cumin. Pick over the thyme leaves and cover with another sheet of greaseproof paper.
2. Using a heavy pan or a rolling pin, bash the chicken breasts to flatten them out to an even thickness all over.
3. Place a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-low heat and scatter in the pumpkin seeds. Toast for a few minutes until they’re golden and start to ‘pop’. Remove from the pan and set aside.
4. Return the pan to the hob, drizzle in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and, once hot, pop in the chicken, seasoned-side down. Fry for 3 to 5 minutes, or until golden. Flip over and cook for a further 2 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.
5. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon of honey, cook for further 1 minute, then remove from the pan and place on a chopping board until cool enough to handle.
6. Meanwhile, peel and roughly chop the mango. Drain the hearts of palm and chop up with the mango and cooled chicken.
7. Halve the avocados and scoop out the flesh onto the board, then top with the lettuce and rocket. Run your knife through everything a couple of times until it is all chopped and mixed together.
8. Squeeze over the lime juice, season well with sea salt and black pepper, then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Toss it all together, then scoop the salad into a serving bowl or platter.
9. Crumble over the feta, sprinkle with the toasted pumpkin seeds and snip over the cress.