Chicken panzanella salad recipe
Chef John Whaite prepares a lovely light lunch or dinner for a warm summer's day.
Ingredients
1 chicken breast fillet200g stale ciabatta or sourdough, cut into 1inch (approx.) cubesSea saltBlack pepper3 rashers streaky bacon (or preferably pancetta)600g mixed tomatoes1 small red onion, very finely sliced1 sweet red pepper, finely slicedAged balsamic vinegarExtra virgin olive oil
To serve
Basil leavesParmesan cheese
Method
Season the chicken breast well with oil, salt and pepper. Heat a dry frying pan over a medium heat and when hot add the chicken breast. Fry on each side for a few minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and white. Remove and cover in foil to cool.
Add the cubed bread to the pan in which the chicken was just fried and toss for a few minutes until nicely toasted and crispy
Grill the bacon/pancetta until very crispy
Chop the tomatoes into roughly 1cm pieces and throw into a large bowl with the sliced onion and sliced pepper
Tear the chicken into pieces and add that, along with the bread. Add a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and a good drizzle of the aged balsamic. Tear up some basil leaves and add, along with the crispy bacon.
Use a potato peeler to shave the parmesan into thin ribbons, and add to the bowl
Season with more sea salt and black pepper