3 delicious chicken salads to try this summer

Summer is here and our tastes turn toward meals that are light, tasty and quick to make – try our 3 delicious chicken salads!

Grilled Chicken Orzo Salad

Packed with fresh herbs and preserved lemon, this grilled chicken orzo salad makes a wonderful lunch or light dinner. For maximum impact and flavour, cook the orzo in chicken stock. Yum!

Grilled Chicken Orzo Salad

Ingredients

For the chicken:

  • 4 chicken thighs
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 preserved lemon sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • salt and pepper

For the Orzo Risotto:

  • ½ cups orzo
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 cup white wine (we used sauvignon blanc)
  • 800 ml of chicken stock
  • 1/3 cup mint roughly chopped
  • 1/3 cup Italian parsley roughly chopped
  • 1/3 cup dill roughly chopped
  • 2 cups baby rocket roughly torn up

For the yoghurt dressing

  • 1 cup greek yoghurt
  • 1/2 preserved lemon diced
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 cup mint, parsley and dill roughly chopped

Method

For the Chicken: Place diced preserved lemon, olive oil, garlic and chicken thigh fillets in a bowl. Add lashings of salt and pepper then massage into chicken. Cover the bowl with cling film then pop in the fridge to marinate for at least 2 hours.

Heat BBQ or grill on high. Drizzle with oil then place chicken skin side down on the grill, turning then flipping, until cooked through, about 10 mins.

For the orzo “risotto”: In a heavy-based saucepan, fry onion in olive oil. Once brown, add the orzo and stock and bring to a boil. Cook for roughly 10 mins, until the orzo is al dente and liquid is absorbed.

Grilled Chicken Orzo Salad from Olivado Limited on Vimeo.

Chicken Avocado and Noodle Salad

This salad comes with a bit of a crunch! Perfect as a large sharing plate for people to help themselves, it’s the exquisite dressing which makes this recipe shine.

Chicken Avocado and Noodle Salad

Ingredients

  • 2 Chicken Breasts – butterflied
  • A knob of butter
  • Salt & pepper
  • 2 packs of egg noodles
  • 1L /34fl.oz high heat oil for deep frying
  • 2 avocados – sliced
  • 250g /8.8oz 1 punnet cherry tomatoes- halved
  • Handful coriander
  • Handful mint
  • Handful parsley
  • ¼ red cabbage – shredded

For the dressing

  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 lemon – zest & juice
  • ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive oil
  • 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
  • ½ tsp dried chilli flakes

Method

Rub the chicken breast with salt and pepper. Heat the butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry off the butterflied chicken breast until perfectly cooked. Set aside covered to rest.

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions. Drain and set aside.

In a separate large heavy pot, heat the high heat oil over a medium/hot heat. Being very careful not burn yourself, deep fry the noodles until golden and crispy. Drain excess oil with a kitchen towel.

To make the dressing, place the honey, lemon zest and juice, Extra Virgin Olive oil, whole grain mustard and chilli flakes in a bowl and whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Shred the chicken and in a beautiful serving dish combine with the avocado, coriander, mint, parsley, cabbage and tomatoes. Break up noodles into clusters and add to the salad. Drizzle over the dressing and serve immediately.

Chicken, Avocado and Crunchy Noodle Salad from Olivado Limited on Vimeo.

Blueberry and Smoked Chicken Super Salad

This amazing blueberry and smoked chicken super salad is perfect for any occasion and only takes 15 minutes to prep. Quick, simple and delicious, exactly what you’re looking for in a summer salad!

Blueberry and Smoked Chicken Super Salad

Ingredients

  • 1 bag Caesar Salad mix or a 1 whole Cos lettuce
  • 50g / 1.7oz snow peas
  • 10-15 mint leaves, chopped
  • 2 spring onions, chopped
  • 150g / 5.2oz feta, chopped
  • 1 punnet of fresh blueberries
  • 2 smoked chicken breasts, sliced
  • 50g / 1.7oz chopped roasted almonds

Dressing

  • 2tsp dijon mustard
  • 45mls / 1.5fl.oz lime juice
  • 45mls / 1.5fl.oz Extra Virgin Avocado Oil
  • Dash of salt and pepper

Method

Toss all salad ingredients together in a large bowl. Whisk dressing ingredients together and drizzle over salad. Add more feta if desired. Arrange on your chosen serving platter. Easy as!

Blueberry and Smoked Chicken Super Salad from Olivado Limited on Vimeo.

Salads don’t have to be boring!

With summer at its peak and temperature getting into the 30s, no one wants to be standing in a hot kitchen.

A light, quick and delicious chicken salad is perfect for a lunch in the garden, beside the barbeque, or at the beach.

And as our three recipes above show, there’s no reason a salad can’t be something to make the taste buds jump as well as satisfying the hungriest tum.

Our range of mouth-watering oils can transform even the simplest dishes, especially chicken salads, so don’t be afraid to experiment!

Check out our range of award-winning oils here and keep up to date with the latest news, competitions, and events over on our InstagramFacebook and Pinterest pages.

And as always, if you have any questions about Olivado, our products or our recipes, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

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