Avocado and chicken salad with pomegranates and brown rice

Serves: 2 to 4

 

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups brown rice

2 avocados

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tsp red pepper flakes

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tbsp olive oil

Juice of 2 limes

6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves

Seeds of 2 pomegranates

1/2 lb. baby spinach, finely chopped

 

METHOD

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Add the rice to a large pot of boiling salted water and simmer for 30 minutes, until the rice is cooked through but ever so slightly al dente, then drain in a sieve. Return the rice to the pot, cover, and allow to steam dry for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, halve the avocados and remove the pits, then place them face up in a roasting pan or large baking dish along with the chicken breasts, making sure everything is in one layer. Scatter over the red pepper flakes, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper and drizzle with the olive oil. Mix everything briefly until well coated with the oil, then pop the roasting pan into the oven for 25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

For the dressing, whisk together the lime juice, extra-virgin olive oil, mint, and pomegranate seeds, then season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Remove the cooked chicken and avocados from the roasting pan and slice them, discarding the avocado skin. Add the cooked rice to the pan along with half of the dressing and all of the spinach, and mix them well with the chile oil left in the pan. Lay the avocado on top of the cooked chicken, drizzle the remaining dressing, and serve.

 

Recipe credit: The Roasting Tin Cookbook by Rukmini Iyer