Chicken Salad
 with Avocado Ranch Dressing

  • 4
  • –
  • 20 minutes
  • 10 minutes

When I opened my first restaurant more than 20 years ago, we made a grilled chicken Caesar salad and we sold more of these than any other item on the lunch menu.

Course: Entrée / Main
Recipe contains: –

  • Avocado ranch dressing
  • 1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and mashed
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons coconut cream
  • 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon each chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley and dill
  • 1 teaspoon fermented mustard or Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 boneless chicken breasts or thighs
  • 2 tablespoons duck fat, or coconut oil, melted
  • Salad
  • 4 celery hearts with leaves, chopped
  • 2 Granny Smith apples, cored and thinly sliced
  • 2 heads Belgian endive, leaves separated and torn
  • 1 large handful each of frisée leaves and mâche leaves
  • ½ bunch of tarragon leaves, torn
  • 40 g raisins
  • 30 g walnuts, activated, toasted, and coarsely chopped
  • 80 ml good-quality extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
Second Tab Content
The great thing about salads is that you don’t need a huge amount of protein – 60–90 grams per person is more than satisfying when you also include heaps of fresh salad leaves, vegetables, nuts, seeds and an amazing dressing. I always cook up more chicken than I need when doing a roast chook, so that I have some left over to use in salads like this.
1

To make the ranch dressing, combine the avocado, 4 tablespoons water, oil, coconut cream, vinegar, parsley, dill, mustard, and onion powder in a food processor and process until smooth. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Transfer the dressing to a bowl, cover, and place in the refrigerator until needed.

2

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

3

Rub the chicken with some of the ghee and season with salt and pepper. Heat a large frying pan with the remaining ghee and sear the chicken, skin side down, until crisp and lightly golden, 2 minutes. Turn over the chicken and sear the other side until lightly golden, 1 minute. Place the chicken on a baking sheet and roast, skin side up, for 7 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Remove the crispy skin from the chicken and slice the skin into small strips. Slice the flesh into 1 cm slices and set aside.

4

To make the salad, combine the celery, apples, endive, frisée, mâche, tarragon, raisins, and walnuts in a bowl. Mix together the oil and vinegar and drizzle over the salad. Add the chicken slices and crispy skin strips and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine.

To serve

1

To serve, transfer the salad to a serving platter or bowl and drizzle over some of the avocado ranch dressing. Pass the remaining dressing on the side.

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