Double Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken and Pesto Pasta Salad

with Rocket, Cucumber, Tomato and Greek Style Cheese

35 min

Difficulty: 1/3

Greek

With sun-soaked Greek inspired flavours, this Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken and Greek Style Pasta Salad is full of flavour. The combination of sun-dried tomato paste, crumbly white cheese and oregano are classic Greek whilst cucumber, tomato and onion make a brilliantly fresh salad.

Allergens

Utensils

Ingredients

Preparation

Preheat your oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas mark 7. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil with ½ tsp salt.

When boiling, add the ditali and bring back to the boil. Cook until tender, 10 mins.

Once cooked, drain in a colander and pop back in the pan. Drizzle with oil and stir through to stop it sticking together. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of oil in a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. TIP: Notice a stronger smell from your chicken? Don’t worry, this is normal due to packaging we use to keep it fresh.

Once hot, lay the chicken into the pan and cook until browned, 5 mins each side. IMPORTANT: Wash your hands and equipment after handling raw chicken and its packaging.

Once browned, lay the chicken onto a baking tray and roast on the top shelf of your oven until cooked through, 10-12 mins. IMPORTANT: The chicken is cooked when no longer pink in the middle.

While the chicken fries, pop the garlic (unpeeled) into a small piece of foil with a drizzle of oil and scrunch to enclose it. Roast the parcel on the chicken tray until soft, 10-12 mins.

Meanwhile, halve, peel and thinly slice the red onion.

When the chicken is roasting, give the frying pan a quick wipe and return to medium heat with a drizzle of oil.

Once hot, add the onion, season with salt and pepper and fry, stirring occasionally, until golden, 10-12 mins.

Add the sugar for the onions (see pantry for amount) and cook until caramelised, 1-2 mins more.

Meanwhile, trim the cucumber, then halve lengthways. Cut into roughly 2cm chunks. Cut the tomato into 2cm chunks.

In a large bowl, combine the pesto and the olive oil for the dressing (see pantry for amount). Season with salt and pepper.

Once the garlic has cooled, cut the end with scissors, squeeze it out of the skin and mash with a fork. Stir it into the dressing.

When the chicken is cooked, remove from your oven, spoon over the sun-dried tomato paste and drizzle over the honey (see pantry for amount). Turn to coat, carefully cover with foil and allow to rest for a couple of mins.

When everything's ready, add the cucumber, tomato, caramelised onion, cooked pasta and rocket to the salad dressing and toss together. Crumble in half the Greek style salad cheese.

Slice the cooked chicken widthways into 2cm slices.