Meat mains
Harissa chicken and carrot salad with chickpeas, tahini and Wootton white
This is a simple dish to prepare, healthy and tasty. Harissa is a chilli and herb spice paste, used for marinades, sauces and dressings. If you prefer, add just a little, taste and add more depending on your preference for heat. Our Wootton white cheese is a British made, feta-style cheese. It has the same tangy taste as feta and is great for crumbling over salads.
Cook's notes
You could use diced squash, sweet potato or other roots like parsnips instead of carrots.
Ingredients
- 300g carrots
- oil for roasting and frying e.g. sunflower or light olive
- 40g sultanas
- 50g watercress
- 30g parsley
- 1 tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste)
- 1 lemon
- 1 tsp dried mint
- 3 tbsp yoghurt
- 1 tin chickpeas
- 300g diced chicken breast
- 1 tbsp harissa
- 75g Wootton White cheese
- 20g pumpkin seeds
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 5. Wash, peel and chop the carrots into 1.5cm batons or bite-sized chunks (not too large). Toss them in a baking dish in just enough oil to coat them. Season with salt and pepper.
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Step 2
Once the oven is up to temperature, pop the carrots in and roast for 20-25 minutes or so, depending on size, until just tender. Meanwhile, put the sultanas in a small bowl or mug. Pour over a little water. Leave them to soak and plump up a little.
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Step 3
Wash the watercress and pack of parsley. Put the tahini in a small bowl or mug. Squeeze in the juice from half the lemon. Add the dried mint, 3 tablespoons of yoghurt and a pinch of salt.
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Step 4
Whisk with a fork, adding just enough cold water to make a dressing the consistency of thinnish double (pouring) cream. Taste and add more lemon juice, or salt, if needed. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Heat the pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan, stirring them often, for 1-2 minutes to lightly toast them. Transfer to a small plate or bowl.
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Step 5
Season the chicken with a little salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in the same frying pan. Add the chicken and fry on a high heat until lightly browned. Lower the pan heat slightly and continue to cook until the chicken is cooked through (no pink juices remain), about 8-10 minutes.
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Step 6
Toss with the harissa and chickpeas and remove from the heat. Once cooked, remove the carrots from the oven. Roughly chop the parsley leaves.
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Step 7
Drain the sultanas. Toss the sultanas with the chicken, carrots and most of the chopped parsley. Arrange the watercress between 2 serving plates or wide bowls. Divide the chicken and chickpea mixture between them.
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Step 8
Drizzle over the tahini dressing, and top with crumbled Wootton white cheese, the remaining parsley and the pumpkin seeds to serve.