Low-Carb Middle Eastern Chicken Salad

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Looking for a nutritious meal to break your fast on a ketogenic diet? Try this warming spiced chicken salad. It's ideal for those who do intermittent fasting and need a higher-calorie meal.

There's nothing quite like a salad that crisps, crunches and delivers on flavour when the weather is warm. This low-carb Middle Eastern Chicken salad does that and then some! The perfect balance of low carb veggies, dressed to impressed in a lemon oil dressing.

The Middle Eastern marinade on the chicken adds a beautifully warming depth of flavour too. I like to pack this salad up in a lunchbox and take to work. It’s great after a long busy day too. Fuss free and a keto family favourite. Why not try making the chicken into kebabs for a BBQ too?

Hands-on20 minutesOverall50 minutes

Nutritional values (per serving)

Macronutrient ratio: Calories from carbs (6%), protein (21%), fat (73%)

Ingredients (makes 1 serving)

Marinade:

• ¹/₂ tsp paprika
• ¹/₄ tsp cumin
• ¹/₂ tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ¹/₈ tsp sea salt or pink Himalayan salt
• ¹/₄ tsp cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp fresh lemon zest
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 heaped tbsp plain full-fat yoghurt or coconut yogurt for paleo (30 g/ 1.1 oz)

Salad:

• 1 chicken breast (140 g/ 4.9 oz)
• ¹/₂ cup baby kale or any leafy greens of your choice (25 g/ 0.9 oz)
• 4-5 cherry tomatoes (40 g/ 1.4 oz)
• 2 tbsp chopped black olives (25 g/ 0.9 oz)
• 1 small red pepper (60 g/ 2.1 oz)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (15 ml)
• ¹/₃ medium avocado (50 g/ 1.8 oz)
• ¹/₂ small cucumber (50 g/ 1.8 oz)
• Optional: freshly chopped parsley

Dressing:

• 1 ¹/₂ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp coconut aminos
• ¹/₈ tsp apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1. Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Add the chicken breast, coat in the Middle Eastern marinade and leave in the fridge for a few hours, ideally over night. If you’re in a rush, you don’t need to marinate, it just helps the flavours infuse.
   
3. Preheat the oven to 190 °C/ 375 °F (fan assisted). Place the marinated chicken breast on a baking sheet, lined with a sheet of greaseproof paper. Roast in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes until cooked all the way through. After 20 minutes, drain any juices and turn over the breast for even cooking.
4. Place the red pepper on a baking tray. Cut in half, remove the seeds and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and roast in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes. Once cooked, but whilst still hot, place in a sandwich bag for 3 minutes. This ‘self steaming’ action makes the skin easy to peel off. Remove the skin and chop the roasted pepper into chunks.
5. Meanwhile prepare the rest of the salad. Chop the tomatoes, avocado, olives and cucumber into small cubes, but keep them separate.
6. Prepare the dressing by simply mixing all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Fold the dressing into the peppers, kale and tomatoes.
7. When the chicken is cooked, remove from the oven and allow to stand for 3 minutes to cool slightly. Chop into small cubes or slices. Arrange the chopped salad in sections. Option to mix all the salad ingredients together in one big bowl and massage in the dressing with your fingers. Either way, equally delicious. Optionally, garnish with fresh parsley.
   

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