Supper Club: Indian griddle chopped chicken salad

Indian Griddled Chopped Chicken Salad
Serves 1

Ingredients

• 1 large skinless chicken breast
• 1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large garlic clove, finely grated
• 1 tsp roast and ground cumin seeds
• good fistful of chopped coriander, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice, or to taste
• 1/2 medium-large tomato
• 1/2 ripe avocado
• 1/4 red onion, finely chopped or sliced
• handful of chopped lettuce, such as Little Gem
• 1 1/2 tsp chaat masala
• 1/4 small Indian green ginger chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
• 1 1/2 tbsp salted peanuts, lightly chopped

Method

1. Marinate the chicken breast with 1 tsp of olive oil, seasoning and garlic. Leave for 30 minutes if possible.
2. Heat a griddle pan or frying pan, add the chicken and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side or until done. I like to cover the pan (with another pan) 2 minutes in, to keep the chicken moist.
3. Meanwhile, mix together the remaining olive oil, seasoning, roast cumin and a little each of the coriander and lemon juice.
4. Chop the tomato and avocado into even 1-2cm cubes. Place in a bowl and add the onion, lettuce, chaat masala, chilli and most of the dressing. Toss well to mix and season to taste. It should be tangy, spicy and well-seasoned. Add more lemon juice if necessary.
5. When the chicken is done, you can slice it thinly and place on top of the salad, drizzled with the remaining dressing and remaining coriander, or chop into small bites and mix with the salad, dressing and remaining coriander. I also like the flavours to marinate for a bit before serving, so make it up 10-15 minutes before serving if possible.
6. Scatter over the peanuts and serve.

Extracted from I Love India by Anjum Anand (Quadrille) Photograph – Martin Poole.