Welcome to my kitchen and another Foodie Friday!
Goodness, we’ve had some very hot weather this week. Now we are almost at the end of June and it looks like the weather may change and cool down again.
Sexy Salads
Salads have been on my menu over the last 2 months as I seem to have an abundance of lettuce in the veg patch, 
along with some rocket and also beetroot tops. I always use the beetroot thinnings in salads; they add a bit of colour and are also packed full of nutrients like iron, protein, magnesium, zinc and fibre along with Vitamins A, C and K. You need to use the very young leaves in salads, but slightly older leaves are also delicious steamed or sautéed.
I wanted to put together a more interesting salad but didn’t want to go to the shops to buy the ingredients for anything too exotic. Instead, I looked at what I had around and found a couple of satsumas that I thought would make an ideal salad ingredient. No doubt you could use oranges or clementines instead! In the freezer I had chicken breasts, so along with my homegrown salad, I had the basic ingredients for this month’s recipe. The chicken requires marinating for a few hours so don’t leave it till the last minute!
Chicken and Satsuma Salad
Ingredients
For the Marinade
The zest of 2 satsumas (save the segments for the salad)
80ml orange juice (I used bought, or you could squeeze some satsumas if you had more)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp runny honey
1 Tsp dried thyme
For the Salad
2 Skinless and boneless free-range chicken breasts
Enough green salad for two (I used lettuce, rocket and beetroot tops)
Half a red pepper, cut into chunks
A chunk of cucumber, sliced
2 Spring onions, sliced diagonally
2 Satsumas, segmented
The Dressing 2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp orange juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tsp red onion or shallots if you have them, finely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
A squeeze of lemon if you think it needs it
Method
Mix the ingredients for the marinade. Place the chicken breasts in a non-metallic dish and pour over the marinade. Cover and place in the fridge for several hours.
Meanwhile make the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary or add a squeeze of lemon. Set aside to let flavours develop.
Line a grill pan with foil and place the chicken in the pan, discarding the marinade. Season with salt and pepper. Cook under a preheated grill for about 15 minutes, turning once. (It’s worth lowering your grill pan to about 6 inches away from the flame so the chicken cooks more evenly). The chicken is cooked when it is no longer pink and the juices run clear.
While the chicken is grilling, divide the salad leaves between two plates and top with the red pepper, cucumber, spring onions and satsuma segments. Remove the chicken from the grill pan, place on a board and allow to rest for a few minutes, before slicing crossways and arranging on top of the salad. Drizzle with plenty of dressing. Serve and enjoy!
I loved this fresh salad just as it was, but you could of course serve with some crusty bread or steamed new potatoes.
See you next time.
Melody x