Chicken, Macadamia & Avocado Salad – this has become my new favourite summer salad, so I thought that I would share it with you. My inspiration came from seeing something similar on a menu in a coffee shop and I was dying to try it, especially since I was starving from spending the morning at the beach, but alas, the café had run out of a couple of the essential ingredients and weren’t able to deliver on my wish.
So, I thought that I would run with the idea, take out all the bits of the salad that I don’t like, flesh it out with all the things that I do like and with ingredients that are readily available and easily accessible to create my own little gem.
I already had some Macadamia nuts leftover from making yet another big batch of my White Chocolate & Macadamia Cookies for Damo’s kids, who absolutely love them, so I decided to add them to my salad for that extra little bit of crunch and tasty surprise and boy, they didn’t disappoint. I love Macadamia nuts but they never seem to last long, especially when I’m around. It’s so easy to grab a handful and gnaw on them whilst watching TV or the likes….yum!
Salads are my ‘go to’ dish as I can make up a big batch at the start of the week, which then sets me up for a quick, easy and healthy lunch to take to work for a fraction of the price of what you would pay working in the City. It also means that if I don’t feel like cooking at the end of the day, then I have something to munch on for dinner. I also throw all types of meat and different sauces across them to mix it up a bit, however I must admit, that I can be a creature of habit and tend to use the same ingredients, something I’m working hard to change this year, so stay tuned!
Chicken, Macadamia & Avocado Salad
Ingredients
- 10 macadamia nuts, raw, unsalted roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 chicken breast cut into thirds, use one in the salad
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 2 cups cos lettuce roughly torn
- 1/2 carrot peeled, cut into ribbons using vegetable peeler
- 1/4 large red capsicum thinly sliced
- 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 avocado thinly sliced
- drizzle balsamic vinegar
Instructions
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In a large non-stick frypan over medium heat, add the macadamia nuts. Cook, stirring occasionally until lightly toasted, remove from heat and transfer to another plate to cool.
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Return frypan to heat, add the coconut oil.
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Add the chicken breasts and cook for 3-4 minutes each side or until cooked through and lightly golden. Remove from heat. Once cooled slice thinly.
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Rinse the lettuce and capsicum under cold water.
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Roughly tear the lettuce and add to a large bowl or plate. Add carrot, red onion, capsicum, macadamia nuts, avocado and chicken. Toss to combine.
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Drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
Recipe Notes
- The cooking time for the macadamia nuts will vary depending on the heat and type of saucepan you use. Usually only a couple of minutes to toast. I toasted a quarter of a cup so I had some leftover for the rest of the week.
- Chicken Breasts, I only used one of the thirds in my salad, but add more if you like.
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