Pesto chicken, quinoa summer salad
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
450g chicken thighs - boneless
2 heaped tbsp pesto
4 garlic cloves - minced
Zest of a lemon
1/2 cup quinoa
2 zucchini - sliced half a cm thick lengthways
Juice of 1 lemon
3/4 cup peas
8 cherry Toms - sliced into thirds
1/4 red onion - thinly sliced
1 tbsp extra virgin OO
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
Big handful of basil - roughly chopped
Handful Italian parsley - roughly chopped
Handful of rocket leaves
1 Avocado - chopped into chunks
100g Feta - break into chunks
2tbsp toasted pine nuts
Sliced red chilli
Instructions
Cook the quinoa as per the packet instructions.
Cover the chicken in pesto, lemon zest and half of the garlic. Bake for 17-20 mins or until cooked.
Thinly slice the zucchini. Fold it through with the rest of the minced garlic and the juice of 1/2 a lemon.
Season and then fry on both sides until lightly cooked.
Fry the peas in a pan for about a minute until defrosted.
Slice the tomatoes & red onion and mix in a bowl with the parsley, basil, extra virgin, balsamic and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Mix the quinoa, zucchini, peas and a handful of rocket.
Let the chicken sit for a couple of minutes, then slice it.(reserve the cooking juices and pour them over the salad at the end) add the chicken to the bowl of quinoa and toss.
Place the quinoa and chicken onto a serving platter, then the tomatoes on top, drizzle a bit of the cooking juice to marinade over the top then add the avocado, feta, pine nuts and some fresh chilli.
