Healthy Dinner Sorted: Lemon Chicken Souvlaki With Greens

Serves 2

Prep: 10 minutes

Chill: 15 minutes

Cook: 10 minutes

Per serving: 340 kcals, 1423 kJ, 6g fat, Low GI

Ingredients
1 tsp fennel seeds
a good pinch of dried oregano or thyme
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
400g chicken breast fillets, cut into chunks
4 thick woody sprigs of rosemary, most of the leaves removed (optional)
low-cal spray oil
2 courgettes, sliced diagonally
a handful of parsley, chopped
4 tbsp low-fat tzatziki

For the greens
low-cal spray oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
a pinch of dried chilli flakes (optional)
200g spring greens, shredded
1 small bunch of dill or flat-leaf parsley, chopped
juice of 1 small lemon
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
Crush the fennel seeds with a pestle and mortar, tip into a bowl and stir in the dried herbs, lemon zest and juice. Add the chicken and stir into the lemony mixture.

Thread the chicken onto 4 sprigs of rosemary (or use wooden skewers that have been soaked in water for about 30 minutes to prevent them burning). Cover and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Lightly spray the chicken skewers with oil and cook under a preheated hot grill or over hot coals on a barbecue for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown and thoroughly cooked right through.

Meanwhile, for the greens, lightly spray a wok or deep frying pan with oil and set over a high heat. Add the garlic and chilli flakes (if using) and cook for 1 minute. Add the spring greens and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until just tender (they should retain a little “bite”). Stir in the herbs and lemon juice and season to taste.

Cook the courgettes in a hot ridged griddle pan over a medium to high heat for 2-3 minutes until just tender and attractively striped.

Serve the chicken skewers sprinkled with chopped parsley, and with the tzatziki, courgettes and spring greens.

Extracted from Diet Cheats by Heather Thomas (Vermilion, approx €11.50).