Ingredients:
·
1 lb
(450g) boneless chicken breasts - pounded to an even thickness
·
3½ oz
(100g) mixed salad leaves
·
1 cup
(150g) cherry tomatoes - halved
·
1 large
avocado - sliced or chopped
·
1 cup
(120g) sliced cucumber
·
1-2
jalapenos - sliced
·
½ red
onion
·
1 lemon
Chimichurri
Sauce Ingredients:
·
1/2 cup
(120ml) olive oil - extra virgin
·
1/4 cup
(60ml) apple cider vinegar
·
1/2 cup
(30g) fresh parsley
·
1/2 cup
(35g) fresh basil leaves
·
1/2 cup
(45g) fresh mint leaves
·
1-2
garlic cloves
·
1 red
chili - deseeded
·
sea
salt and pepper - to your taste
METHOD:
1. Bring the chicken to room temperature before
cooking
I know
many people are reluctant to leave raw meat at room temperature and just to be
clear, I am not saying you should leave it for hours on the cooking table.
But if
you want to make it juicy and perfectly cooked, you need to let sit for 20-30
minutes after taking it out of the fridge.
And
this is a good rule of thumb for cooking any meat, especially for thick cuts or
whole roasted chicken/turkey.
This
method helps to cook the meat evenly and faster, and it’s totally fine as long
as you don’t forget the chicken on the cooking table
2. How to adapt the chimichurri chicken avocado
salad recipe to your taste.
I made
it with chicken breast but you can replace that with thighs, turkey, or
shrimps.
You can
also tweak the chimichurri sauce and try different levels of spicy. If you want
it mild use green or red cayenne. For medium-hot, try it with Jalapeno.
And if
you are brave enough, use Habanero. This will make it extremely hot so be
careful with it, ok? You need to be some hot chili pro taster to try that.
Apart
from chilis, you can also change the herbs, or try different combos like
parsley and cilantro, or mint and basil
Furthermore,
you can make the salad with your favorite chopped veggies, like bell peppers,
corn or green onion.
Now, if
you really want to make the best chimichurri chicken avocado salad, you must
pay special attention to the following tip.
3. Marinate the chicken in chimichurri sauce.
Most
people use chimichurri as a dressing or a dip but have you ever thought of
marinating meat in it?
If not,
then you must try it!
Trust
me, this will take your chimichurri chicken salad to a whole new level of
flavorness.
And
it’s not just for poultry. You can marinate almost all kinds of meat in this
sauce, especially barbecue or grilled.
All
you’d have to do is place the chicken in a large Ziploc bag then add about 1/4
cup of chimichurri sauce, and mix well to coat. Then you need to refrigerate
for at least 30 minutes but for maximum flavor intensity, it’s best to leave it
overnight.
Of
course, you could skip this step and it will still be delish, but you really
gotta try it once.
4. How to do meal planning with chimichurri
chicken salad.
You can
keep homemade chimichurri sauce in a lidded jar for up to 7 days. Some
store-bought ones may have a longer expiration date but let’s be honest…
homemade is always best, isn’t it?
The
salad will last up to 3 days in the fridge (in air-tight containers) but you need
to pat-dry the veggies before prepping them and make sure that there’s no
moisture. Otherwise, they will not hold up nice and fresh that long.
Also,
keep in mind that you must store the sauce separately and mix it with salad
just before serving.
Now let’s
summarize what you need to remember:
After
removing from the fridge, let the chicken sit at room temperature for 20-30
minutes before cooking. This will make it juicy and it will help it cook
faster.
If
you want, you can replace the chicken with thighs, turkey, or shrimps.
You
can tweak the sauce and make it hotter by using different chilis.
You
can replace the veggies in the salad with your favorites.
Marinate
the chicken in chimichurri sauce for at least 30 minutes before cooking
(overnight if possible).
Use
this chimichurri chicken avocado salad for meal planning but remember to keep
the sauce separated from the salad and mix them right before serving.
Then
you can serve now
Enjoy!!