Quick lunch- chicken & pesto salad

This super quick lunch can be packed up and taken to work with you, it’s really easy to make and takes no time at all.

What you’ll need

• 1 x 240g skinless chicken
• breast fillet
• drizzle of olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 25g pine nuts
• 1 tbsp pesto
• juice of 1 lemon
• large handful of baby spinach
• leaves, rocket or watercress
• 1 pre-cooked beetroot
• 5 sundried tomatoes, roughly halved
• 40g feta

Quick lunch ideas that taste delicious

How to make

1. Preheat a griddle pan over a high heat.
2. Place the chicken between two pieces of cling film or baking parchment on a chopping board.
3. Using a rolling pin, meat mallet or any other blunt instrument, bash the chicken until it is about 1cm thick all over.
4. Drizzle the breast with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
5. When the griddle pan is smoking hot, fry the bashed breast for about four minutes on each side.
6. When you are happy the chicken is cooked through – you can check by slicing into a thicker part to make sure the meat is white all the way through, with no raw pink bits left – remove it to a plate and leave to rest.
7. While the chicken is cooking, toast the cumin seeds and pine nuts in a frying pan for about one minute over a high heat.
8. Slide the seeds onto a plate and leave to cool.
9. Dollop the pesto into a bowl, squeeze in the lemon juice and stir until thoroughly combined.
10. When you’re ready to eat, lay the chicken on a plate then artistically chuck on the salad leaves, followed by the beetroot and sundried tomatoes.
11. Crumble over the feta and drizzle the lemon pesto on top. Finish by scattering over the toasted seeds.

Why not switch it up a little?

Replace the salad with 100g of cooked pasta for a more substantial meal idea that all the family will love!

For more scrumptious meal ideas, check out our blog.