So we are back from our holiday and although I enjoyed the food in the Seychelles I am also looking forward to eating our own lunches and dinners again. This recipe is a combination of 2 that I found online. I have never brined chicken before cooking and the blogger who described it made me give it a try, It was worth it! The chicken was so moist inside as sometimes in can dry out when it is oven cooked. When eating this recipe it tastes like a treat lunch but the bonus is it is really healthy too! I think avocado and chicken are a classic combination with the extra treat from a piece of pancetta now and then. To be honest most of my dressings tend to have mustard in them I love the tangy notes it gives to the other ingredients.

Ingredients (serves 2)

For the Salad

• 4 chicken mini fillets (or 2 breast)
• small bag of salad leaves
• 6-8 cherry vine tomatoes
• 1 avocado peeled and sliced
• handful of thawed sweetcorn
• 10g pancetta cubes
• 2 tbsp sea salt

For the Dressing

• 3 tbsp runny honey
• 2 tbsp grain mustard
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar

Method      

1. First brine the chicken so it remains moist when cooked. Fill a small bowl 3/4 with warm water, add the salt, stir and pop in the chicken fillets making sure they are submersed. Leave for at least 15 minutes.
2. In a jar add all of the dressing ingredients except for the red wine vinegar and shake well to combine (or whisk in a bowl).
3. Remove the chicken breasts from water pat dry with some kitchen paper and place on a plate or bowl. Add half of your dressing mixture to the fillets rubbing all over so they are completely covered, set aside in fridge for at least 30 mins.
4. Pre heat oven to 180 degrees (fan) place the fillets in an oven dish and bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through.
5. While the chicken is cooking, heat a pan on medium heat and dry fry the pancetta cubes until crispy (around 2-3 mins) place on a piece of kitchen towel to drain excess fat and set aside to crisp up.
6. When the fillets are cooked leave to stand so they can rest while you assemble your salad, divide the salad ingredients between 2 serving dishes, diagonal slice the chicken breasts and place on top.
7. Add the teaspoon of red wine vinegar to the remainder of the dressing shake to mix and drizzle over the top, finishing off with a sprinkling of the cooked pancetta.