Chicken and Bacon Salad with Roasted Broccoli

Roasted broccoli is quick and easy to prepare. Once you cook it like this, you’ll never go back to any other method.

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts, cut into pieces about the size of your thumb or 300-400g diced chicken
180g bacon lardons
200g tender stem broccoli, trimmed
150g mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
2 tablesp. oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
150g mixed leaves
2 ripe avocados, peeled, diced and tossed in a little lemon juice
75g creamy goats’ cheese
Handful of pecan nuts, split lengthways

Dressing:
1 tablesp. balsamic vinegar
3 tablesp. olive oil
2 teasp. wholegrain mustard
A pinch of sugar

Method:
Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6, 200°C (400°F).

Toss the broccoli and mushrooms in a little oil, season with salt and pepper, place on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Mix them around after 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, heat a tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan. Season the chicken pieces and add them to the pan along with the bacon. Cook until the bacon is crispy and the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Place the chicken, bacon, broccoli, mushrooms, leaves and avocado in a large bowl. Mix the dressing ingredients together and pour over the salad. Toss gently to coat everything in the dressing. Transfer to a large serving bowl or serving plates. Spoon on the cheese and sprinkle over the pecan nuts.

Serving Suggestions
Serve with some wholemeal bread.

Serves 6
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Source: Bord Bia