Chicken Breast with Quinoa and Avocado

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts, skinless
80g Butter, softened
1 tbsp fresh Ginger, grated
1 small bunch Mint, leaves picked from stalks and sliced
12 rashers streaky bacon

For the quinoa and avocado salad

120g fair-trade Quinoa
200ml water
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus a little for drizzling
3 tbsp Honey
2 tbsp fresh Ginger, grated
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp Salt
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 lime, zest and juice
1 mild red chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped
75g Dried apricots, roughly chopped
50g dried cranberries
100g sun-blushed tomatoes
2 ripe avocados
salt and fresh ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 190C/gas 5.

2. Lay the chicken breasts smooth-side down and lift the fillets to one side. Mix the soft butter with the ginger and one third of the mint and season well. Spread a quarter of the butter down the length of each breast in the groove left by the fillets. Fold the fillets back over the butter and season the breasts with black pepper.

3. Wrap each breast in three rashers of streaky bacon with the overlap meeting on the underside of the breast. Put the bacon-wrapped breasts onto a small baking tray with the overlapping side down and roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

4. While the chicken roasts, cook the quinoa. Bring the water to the boil with the olive oil, honey, grated ginger, chopped garlic and salt. Add the quinoa and gently simmer for about 10 minutes until the germ separates. Cover and leave to absorb the remaining liquid.

5. Add the chopped chilli, the zest and juice of the lemon and lime, dried apricots, cranberries, tomatoes and remaining sliced mint. Stir well and season.

6. Once the chicken is cooked, let it rest for 5 minutes. Cut the avocadoes in half, twist gently to separate the halves then remove the stones and skins. Cut the flesh into large chunks and toss with the quinoa.

7. Spoon the salad onto four plates, cut each chicken breast into 5 slices and arrange over the salad, drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Warm vegetable quinoa salad

Ingredients
Serves 4

1 red pepper, deseeded and halved
1 yellow pepper, deseeded and halved
1 courgette, trimmed and finely sliced
1 small red onion, peeled and finely sliced
60g quinoa grains
2 tbsp pine nuts
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
100g fresh rocket
3 tbsp chopped fresh basil
4 lemon wedges

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas 6.

Place the peppers cut side up on an ovenproof baking dish and scatter the courgette and red onion over the top. Place in the oven and roast for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, rinse and drain the quinoa and add to a medium-sized pan of boiling water, along with the thyme and rosemary. Cook for 8-10 minutes. Drain and put aside.

Scatter 1 tablespoon of the pine nuts over the peppers and cook for a further 5-10 minutes.

Remove the baking dish from the oven and spoon the quinoa into the pepper halves.

Scatter with rocket, fresh basil and the remaining pine nuts and arrange the lemon wedges (for squeezing) on the top. Serve immediately.