Roast Chicken Salad with Gravy Dressing
Step 1.
Preheat your oven to 180°C/356°F.
Step 2.
Time to prep your chicken. Slice up your onion into quarters, arrange 3/4 on the tray and place your chicken on top. Scatter your garlic cloves around the edge and with your broken up rosemary sprig. Rub butter onto the outside of the chicken and season liberally with salt and pepper, adding the remaining piece of onion and 1/4 of a lemon inside the cavity. Pop the tray into the oven for 1hr 15m.
Step 3.
Tenderstem prep: get a frying pan on high heat. Slice your broccoli in half length-ways, and then add to pan with no oil and toast for 10 mins until soft and charred. Take the pan off the heat and wait to cool. Add a splash of oil and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Step 4.
Tomato prep time: chop your tomatoes and add into a colander with a pinch of salt. Mix together and leave the moisture to drain.
Step 5.
Time to assemble your salad base. Slice your peppers, avocado, basil, chilli and lettuce. De-seed your cucumber by slicing once lengthways and spooning out the center then chop. Assemble in the bowl with your olives, tomatoes and tenderstem broccoli. Keep each part compartmented for presentation.
Step 6.
Dressing time. Add 4 Tbsp of olive oil, juice of your remaining 3/4 lemon, salt and pepper to a jar and grate in 50g of parmesan. Set aside for the moment.
Step 7.
After your chicken has cooked, remove from the oven and let rest for 10 mins. Remove the lemon and onion from the cavity and drain the juices from the chicken into the tray. Set the chicken aside on board.
Step 8.
Add your roasting tray with the onions, rosemary, garlic and lemon to the hob with 100ml of water and whack up the heat. With a wooden spatula, scrape off the sticky bits and squeeze the onion, garlic and lemon to release any juices. Bubble down on a high heat until you have a lovely rich, thick gravy and then sieve. Pick out onion slices and add to salad bowl.
Step 9.
Back to the dressing. Add 2 Tbsp of your gravy to your dressing jar and shake up to mix.
Step 10.
Time to carve your chicken. Add the sliced up chicken breast to your assembled salad bowl, saving the rest of the meat for meal prep and other recipes.
Step 11.
Pour over your gravy dressing and toss together, adding a bit more gravy, parmesan and basil to taste. Serve into bowls and enjoy!
