, Step by step

Korean chicken salad with baked squash

A perfect light summer meal that is bursting with flavor.

Mark Stower, Director of Food and Service.

Serves: 6

Ingredients

¼ red chilli, sliced
1 tsp grated ginger
100ml soy sauce
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
3 boneless chicken thighs
1½ medium size squash, cut into quarters
1 head little gem lettuce
1 spring onion, finely sliced
¼ cucumber, cut into thin, long strips using a peeler
¼ bunch coriander, chopped
30ml fish sauce
30ml rapeseed oil
30ml sweet chilli sauce

Method

Step 1

Mix the chilli, ginger, soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce, garlic and brown sugar together. Place the chicken thighs and squash in 2 separate dishes, cover each with half of the mixture and leave to marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
Step 2

Cut the little gem lettuce into leaves, mix with the spring onions, cucumber and coriander, and reserve for later.
Step 3

To make the salad dressing, mix the fish sauce, rapeseed oil and sweet chilli sauce and keep to one side.
Step 4

Heat the oven to 170°C. Remove the chicken and squash from the refrigerator. Place the squash onto a baking tray and cook in the oven for 30 minutes until soft. Place the chicken into a dish and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. When cooked, place under a hot grill to caramelise the outside of the chicken. Then slice and keep warm.
Step 5

Place some of the salad onto one side of each plate and put a piece of roasted squash on the other side. Divide the chicken between the plates and place on top of the salad. Spoon over the dressing and serve.

Nutrition

We are eating more and more chicken—apparently almost 50% of meat sold in the UK is poultry and, according to government statistics, we consume about 250 grams of chicken per person per week. That’s about double what it was in the 1970s.

Unlike eggs—where 45% of production is now free-range or organic—only about 5% of British chicken production is free range and even less is currently organically produced.

When you are buying chicken, look out for the Red Tractor logo. This is the UK assurance scheme and means that it meets robust production standards, including safety and animal welfare, and ensures traceability back to UK chicken farms that are independently inspected.

As chicken is very frequently contaminated by the food poisoning organism campylobacter, always remember to handle chicken carefully. Don’t wash chicken before cooking it; wash hands, knives and chopping boards thoroughly in hot soapy water after preparing chicken; and cook chicken until the juices run clear and there is no pink meat.

DR JULIET GRAY, COMPANY NUTRITIONIST