Pearl barley chicken and asparagus salad
Tanisha Kemp, MasterChef NZ 2014 contestant, chef and food blogger at twicethespice.co.nz shares her healthy and quick recipes for busy mums to feed the family. As a first time Mum to Charlie, six months, she hopes to inspire other mums in the kitchen!
This salad has summer written all over it with seasonal asparagus, fresh herbs and a tangy dressing. Pearl barley is a wonderful grain which works well in salads with its crunchy nutty texture. The salad is quick and easy to make, healthy and satisfying to eat, and the leftovers are great for lunch the next day.
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
500g skinless chicken breasts
1 bunch asparagus
2 c pearl barley
1 yellow capsicum, diced
½ red onion, finely sliced
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 c parsley, finely chopped
1 c flaked almonds, lightly toasted
Salt & pepper
Dressing:
1 t paprika
1 T Dijon mustard
2 T apple cider vinegar
4 T olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
Method:
- Heat oven to 180 degrees.
- Blanch asparagus for 2 minutes in a pot of boiling salted water. Remove asparagus and reserve the water. Chop asparagus into 3cm chunks and add to a large bowl.
- Cook pearl barley in reserved boiling salted water for 30 minutes. Once cooked, rinse and drain well and add to asparagus. (Please note, even once cooked, pearl barley will have a crunchy texture)
- While the pearl barley is cooking, place chicken breasts in an ovenproof dish. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and roast in oven for 30 minutes or until cooked through. Using two forks, shred the chicken breasts.
- Whisk all the dressing ingredients together.
- Add the capsicum, red onion, celery, parsley and shredded chicken to the pearl barley. Season well. Add dressing and mix through.
- Sprinkle with toasted almonds.
