Coconut Chicken Salad with Watercress

Nourish
Coconut Chicken Salad with Watercress

Serves 4

This is the freshest, loveliest salad, particularly in the warmer months. Watercress is one green I love to use whenever I can. It’s loaded with folate, iodine, calcium, iron, vitamin C and vitamin A – when you compare it to the humble iceberg lettuce, it’s in another league nutritionally, so grab some whenever you see it on a shopping trip!

Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Nut-free, Egg-free

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 small chicken breast fillets
  • 400 ml tin light coconut cream (or water)
  • 1 cup (250 ml) chicken stock
  • 3 cm piece ginger, thinly sliced
  • 1 stick lemongrass, bruised
  • 2 kaffir lime leaves
  • 2 red chillies, chopped
  • 1 tbs fish sauce (gluten-free if needed)
  • 2 Lebanese cucumber, halved lengthways, sliced
  • 1 bunch watercress sprigs
  • 1 cup mixed salad leaves
  • 4 radishes, thinly sliced
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • Handful coriander leaves, roughly torn
  • Lime cheeks, to serve
  • Toasted sesame seeds, to serve
  • Red chilli, sliced, to serve

Sesame Dressing

  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 tsp fish sauce (gluten-free if needed)
  • 1 tbs lime juice, plus extra to taste

Method

  1. Place chicken breast in a medium frying pan. Add coconut cream/water to cover. Add ginger, lemon grass, lime leaves and chillies. Bring to almost boiling, reduce heat, simmer gently for 15 minutes or until chicken is tender and just cooked through. Remove from heat, add fish sauce. Leave chicken to cool in liquid.
  2. Meanwhile, to prepare dressing, mix together all dressing ingredients in a bowl or jar until well combined.
  3. Shred chicken. Divide between serving plates with cucumber, watercress, salad leaves, radish and avocado. Scatter with coriander. Drizzle over dressing and serve with lime wedges.