Healthy means different things to different people – try this great recipe we found – rich in nutrients, fantastic flavour, wonderful taste and texture and most importantly ultra-healthy!
Ingredients
- 500 g skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed
- freshly ground or cracked black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
- 4 coriander stalks, including roots and leaves
- 100 g rice stick or vermicelli noodles
- 3 cups Chinese cabbage (wombok), finely shredded
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 4 spring onions (including green tops), ends trimmed, thinly sliced diagonally
- 3 cups bean sprouts
- 1/2 cup mint leaves, loosely packed, roughly torn
- 2 tbs lime juice
- 2 tbs sweet chilli sauce
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tbs water
- 40 g unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped
Method
- Place both chicken breasts in a medium saucepan with enough water to just cover. Season with black pepper.
- Add garlic, coriander roots and stems, reserving leaves.
- Place over high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer with the lid on for 2 minutes.
- Switch off heat, cover and leave chicken to rest in the liquid stock while preparing salad.
- Place the noodles in a large heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 5 minutes to soften. Drain well.
- Add cabbage, carrot, spring onions, bean sprouts and mint to noodles. Roughly chop mint leaves and add to salad ingredients.
- Remove chicken and garlic from liquid stock and set aside to cool slightly.
- To make dressing, mash cooked garlic in a cup and combine with lime juice, sweet chilli sauce, fish sauce and water.
- Coarsely shred or thinly slice the chicken then add to the salad with dressing and combine.
- Serve immediately, topped with peanuts.
Hint
This dish can be made in advance, but dressing and peanuts are best to be added to salad just before serving.
Variations
- Replace the rice noodles with 100g fresh egg noodles. If using dried egg noodles, you will have to cook it according to the packet directions.
- Substitute poached chicken for 2 skinless breasts of a cooked roast chicken.
Serving Suggestion: For added spice, add a chopped red chilli to the salad mix or sprinkle with white pepper.
Recipes and images supplied courtesy of LiveLighter Victoria.