These easy chicken and baked ricotta salads are a simple weeknight meal that’s ready in half an hour. The ricotta rounds and lemon and thyme dressing take this from your average chicken salad to something quite delicious!
This is a fresh and light meal that’s perfect for the warmer months. If you prefer to have more carbs than this, crusty bread or toasted garlic pita bread cut into wedges would make a nice accompaniment.
CHICKEN & BAKED RICOTTA SALADS
These easy chicken salads are made more interesting with the addition of a baked ricotta round. An easy weeknight meal that’s ready in half an hour.
Ingredients
BAKED RICOTTA
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 250 g ricotta cheese (8.8oz)
- 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese (20g)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
SALAD & DRESSING
- 1 large avocado
- 2 green pears
- 1/2 telegraph cucumber
- 120 g Mediterranean rocket (4.2oz)
- 40 g snow pea shoots (1.4oz)
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
CHICKEN
- 600 g chicken stir fry or tenderloins (1lb 5oz)
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp olive oil
Instructions
Preheat oven to 190ºC (375ºF) fan bake.
PREPARE RICOTTA
Grease 4 small (approximately 10cm/4inch) round ramekins with olive oil. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together ricotta, parmesan, egg and thyme. Season with salt and pepper, then divide mixture between ramekins. Bake for 25 minutes, until mixture has set and browned on top.
PREPARE SALAD & DRESSING
Thinly slice avocado, pear and cucumber. Divide rocket and snow pea shoots between individual serving plates. Top with avocado, pear and cucumber.
Whisk together lemon juice (don’t forget to zest the lemon first!), olive oil, honey, lemon zest, mustard and thyme. Season with a little salt and pepper.
COOK CHICKEN
Season chicken with thyme as well as some salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and pan fry chicken until browned all over and cooked through (approximately 10 minutes).
SERVE
Place cooked chicken and baked ricotta on top of salads. Drizzle with dressing to serve.
Recipe Notes
WINE MATCH: A Riesling or a Pinot Gris.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: This meal is naturally gluten-free.
INGREDIENT RECOMMENDATION: I used Massimo's ricotta and really liked the creamy texture. It doesn't appear to be widely available at the moment, but if you can find it in your local store I highly recommend it.
INGREDIENT SWAPS: Cheddar cheese can be used instead of parmesan cheese. You could use diced chicken breasts or thighs instead of stir fry or tenderloins.
BULK IT UP: Serve with some crusty bread or wedges of toasted garlic pita bread. Toasted walnuts would make a nice addition.
STORING AND REHEATING: Store ricotta and chicken separately from salad and dressing. Reheat ricotta and chicken in the oven or microwave. Dress salad just before serving.
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2 Comments
This was very interesting as a meal, but delicious!
So pleased you enjoyed this meal. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review 🙂