And for those that like to drive, it is 5 hours from Sydney, but it is such a lovely drive, the road was great and as I rarely get to go on long drives, I enjoyed it.
While there my friend showed me this recipe and I took a photo of the newspaper clipping, as it looked delicious and my family is big on eating salads. Well it is delicious. This is so easy to make, you simply bake the chicken and vegetables in the oven together, toss the warm chicken over some fresh young salad leaves, drizzle with the dressing and you get a lunch (or dinner) that is packed full of flavour.
This is the first time I tried baked broccoli and cauliflower, OMG, I love it baked, it was just so good. It is also great as the kids get to try different vegetables, and if they don't like everything that is fine, they can pick what they like.
I add the anchovies as they add seasoning and a lovely flavour, just remember to finely chop it, otherwise the kids will pick up that it is in there.
Adam called it a Sunday Roast Salad and I can see why, as this is the perfect recipe for a Sunday lunch as after a bit of preparation, very little, you get to chill with this delicious salad on a Sunday afternoon.
Also I will mention this is the actual recipe from a newspaper clipping but I actually double everything, except the chicken, when making it for my family. I love the fresh vegetables, so although no quite meatless, we all get a little chicken, but the highlight for us is the flavours from the vegetables. So add extra vegetables if you like, adjust the dressing as needed.
Also remember to not overcrowd your baking trays, bake on two trays if needed, just make sure everything is on one layer.
Now I like to serve this on a platter, with the salad leaves on the bottom, but you can just as easily combine all ingredients in a salad bowl, dress it with the vinaigrette and serve it tossed as a normal salad.
So if you are looking for an easy Sunday lunch idea, or midweek meal idea, give this a go, it is so good, you will not be disappointed.
Recipe
Serves 4
6 chicken thigh cutlets, trimmed of visible fat
1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups cauliflower florets
1 small red capsicum, deseeded and cut into strips
1 small eggplant, cut into 1cm cubes
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
3 anchovies, very finely chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, peeled and very thinly sliced
8 cups mixed baby salad leaves
Black pepper, to serve
Light vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
A pinch of salt
Preheat your oven to 210C/190C fan forced.
In a large bowl add the chicken, broccoli, cauliflower, capsicum, eggplant, cherry tomatoes and anchovies. Add the oil and stir to coat.
Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a baking paper lined baking sheet large enough to fit everything in a single layer with a bit of space between the vegetables, use two baking sheets if needed, Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
While the vegetables are baking prepare the dressing. Whisk together the ingredients for the vinaigrette.
I like to use a platter for this, I scatter my salad leaves all over the platter, then scatter on the onion, drizzle with a little dressing.
Once the chicken is cooked, thickly slice it then scatter the chicken and roasted vegetables over the salad leaves (and any juices from the baking trays). Drizzle with remaining dressing, add extra pepper if you like and serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Pin it: https://au.pinterest.com/pin/399413060686164046/