Crispy chicken salad with tangelo and roasted hazelnuts and manuka dressing
This crispy chicken salad is exactly what I would serve for a languid lunch on a warm day – it’s light, tasty and would go brilliantly with a chilled glass of white wine.
Ingredients
Crispy chicken
- 2 chicken breasts skinless
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1 free-range egg lightly beaten
- 1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon celery salt
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- ¼ cup canola oil
Salad
- 2 tangelos
- ⅓ cup hazelnuts roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
- 2 cups mesclun salad greens
- 1 cup micro greens
Dressing
- 1 tablespoon manuka honey
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons ponzu soy sauce alternatively use a 50:50 ratio of lemon/lime juice and soy sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a shallow roasting tray with baking paper.
- Cut each breast in half horizontally to create four pieces of equal thickness.
- Place flour, egg and panko crumbs in three separate bowls. Season flour with the paprika and celery salt and stir sesame seeds into the crumbs. Dip each chicken piece into the flour, then the egg and lastly the crumbs until well coated.
- Heat oil on medium heat in a frying pan and cook chicken for 1-2 minutes per side until golden then put in tray. Place tray in oven and bake for 4-5 minutes until cooked through and juicy. Take chicken out of oven and rest for 2-3 minutes before slicing on an angle.
- For the salad, cut the top and bottom off each tangelo, then cut down the sides to remove skin and pith. Divide into segments, reserving any juice.
- Toast hazelnuts and seeds in a pan on medium heat with a little oil until golden and popping.
- For the dressing, combine the honey, vinegar, sesame oil, soy and reserved tangelo juice in a jar and shake well.
- Arrange mesclun, micro greens, tangelo segments, nuts and seeds in the serving bowls, drizzle with dressing and toss gently. Top with the sliced, crispy chicken and serve.
Notes
Panko breadcrumbs give the crispy chicken a lovely light texture, with a hint of flavour from the smoked paprika and celery salt. Segmenting citrus takes a little practice to be able to do well (to avoid leaving any pith attached to the fleshly segments) – be sure to use a small paring knife for greater agility. The dressing with this salad is a real winner, and goes so well with even a basic green salad. You can find ponzu in the International section of the supermarket, or in gourmet food stores.