This summery salad is a mix of bright flavours and textures – sweet cherry tomatoes, bite-size morsels of fresh mozzarella, roasted red onion and capsicum, rocket and fresh basil. Served with balsamic chicken and a sprinkle of pine nuts.
This Week
2 Dec - 8 Dec
Balsamic Roasted Chicken Salad with Bocconcini and Basil
- under 1 hour
- 4
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Meal Prep Guide
Make the marinade for the chicken (store in an airtight container or jar in the fridge)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp fresh oregano (finely chopped) or 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 garlic cloves (crushed)
- Salt and pepper
- To a jar or small container, add all of the marinade ingredients and mix well.
Slice one red capsicum (store in an airtight container the fridge)
Tips
- We recommend lining the tray with baking paper as the balsamic marinade may burn.
- If you have a hungry household or leftovers that aren’t quite enough to make lunch the next day – add some pasta! This salad is delicious with the addition of small-shaped pasta, just cut everything into bite-sized pieces, use half the amount of rocket and drizzle with some extra olive oil and balsamic.
- If you are cooking recipe 004. we recommend roasting two extra red capsicums and one red onion – store the extra roasted vegetables in the fridge, ready to use in the fajitas the next night.
Shortcuts
Vegetables
- Add roasted eggplant and/or zucchini.
- Swap rocket for mixed-leaf lettuce.
Protein
- For a vegetarian option, omit the chicken and turn into a pasta salad. Reduce the rocket to just 60g and add 1 -2 cup of small shaped pasta and 1 eggplant (cut into cubes) roasted with the capsicum and onion. Toss all the ingredients together and enjoy!
Other
- Swap bocconcini for torn fresh mozzarella.
- Swap bocconcini for goat feta.
- Serve with a side of crusty bread.
Ingredients
Balsamic chicken
- 500-600g chicken breast
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp fresh oregano (finely chopped) or 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 garlic cloves (crushed)
- Salt and pepper
Salad
- 1 red onion (sliced into wedges)
- 1 red capsicum (sliced)
- 120g, 1 bag rocket
- 200g, 1 punnet cherry tomatoes
- 150g bocconcini balls (drained)
- ½ cup basil (finely sliced)
- 2 Tbsp pine nuts (toasted)
- 1-2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (depending on how acidic you like your dressings)
- 3 Tbsp olive oil + extra for cooking
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees fan bake.
- While the oven is coming to temperature, marinate the chicken. Add all the ingredients into a medium baking dish and mix well to combine; marinate for at least 15 minutes.
- Pop the chicken in the oven for 25-30 minutes (time will vary depending on the size of the chicken), flip the chicken halfway. Once cooked, allow to cool slightly before slicing and then toss in the excess marinade in the tray.
- While the chicken is cooking, roast the capsicum and onion. Add them to a baking tray; drizzle with olive oil and season with a pinch of salt. Pop in the oven to roast for 25-30 minutes until crispy and charred in places.
- While the chicken and vegetables are roasting, prepare everything else.
- To a medium bowl, add the cherry tomatoes, bocconcini, basil, pine nuts, balsamic, olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Add the rocket to the base of a large plate or platter, scatter over the roast vegetables, bocconcini and cherry tomatoes, and pour over any excess dressing; nestle in the sliced chicken.
Variations
Vegetables
- Add roasted eggplant and/or zucchini.
- Swap rocket for mixed-leaf lettuce.
Protein
- For a vegetarian option, omit the chicken and turn into a pasta salad. Reduce the rocket to just 60g and add 1 -2 cup of small shaped pasta and 1 eggplant (cut into cubes) roasted with the capsicum and onion. Toss all the ingredients together and enjoy!
Other
- Swap bocconcini for torn fresh mozzarella.
- Swap bocconcini for goat feta.
- Serve with a side of crusty bread.
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