Sounds posh right? It really isn’t. I love a good salad but I tend to get bored very easily. Also when the weather is cold, I can’t seem to face a cold salad. I want something warm and comforting, but also healthy and exciting.

This is my twist on a chicken salad. Spicy tandoori chicken served with warm braised lettuce (yes that’s right!), green beans, garlic croutons and a mint yoghurt dressing.

I know what you might be thinking. Warm lettuce? Ew. But its so delicious! The trick is to not over cook it so it becomes soggy and unappetising and not to slice the wedges too thin. I used Little Gem lettuce and sliced them into four quarters. Simply tossed in a little olive oil, salt and pepper and then whack them on the grill for a few minutes until charred. It adds such a warm smokey flavour and pairs so well with the tandoori chicken. Plus its nice to mix it up sometimes?

For the chicken, I kept it incredibly simple for both ease and time. I used a tandoori spice mix that you can find in all the supermarkets. I simply sprinkled this mix over some breast chicken with a little olive oil. That’s it. If you don’t have tandoori mix, you can simply flavour your chicken with whatever dried spices and herbs you have in your cupboard. If you are vegetarian, you could try this same recipe using paneer, or chunks of cauliflower if you are vegan. Experiment and make it your own. I cooked the chicken on a grill pan to add to the charred flavour and it was absolutely delicious.

With the green beans, all I did was boil them for 5 minutes until slightly soft but still crunchy. Once drained, I tossed them in olive oil, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Try not to overcook the beans, as they are delicious when they still have a bite.

For the croutons, I tore up a slice of granary bread and placed in a frying pan with a tiny splash of olive oil and a sprinkling of garlic powder. Toast them up until golden and crunchy.

Lastly, I made a salad dressing from fat free yoghurt. I used approximately 4 heaped teaspoons of yoghurt and added one teaspoon of mint sauce. Then I added a squeeze of lemon juice, a pinch of cumin and some olive oil. This dressing is so fresh and light, it was delicious alongside the spicy chicken.

And there you have it. Garnish with some fresh coriander and enjoy. This was a perfect light dinner for us and it was so nice to eat something a little different. Give it a go and let me know what you think.

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