Tuscan-inspired chicken panzanella
Try this delicious dish with all the flavours of the Mediterranean if you want to keep the summer alive for a few more days.
Dean whipped up this hearty Italian-inspired dish for This Morning and left us with the recipe, which serves four.
Ingredients:
A stale ciabatta or 1 large loaf sourdough bread2 tbsp olive oil12 large ripe tomatoes, quartered150g cherry tomatoes, halvedSalt to season½ cucumber, deseeded and diced½ red onion, finely sliced1 x 220g pack chicken breast goujons (mini fillets)2 cloves garlic, crushed3 sprigs fresh thyme1 tbsp olive oil200g tub bocconcini, drained (baby mozzarella)Bunch fresh basil
Dressing:
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil2 tbsp red wine vinegar½ clove garlic, crushed1 tsp honey
Method:
If you’re using a day old ciabatta bread, slice into rough cubes.OR use the whole sourdough loaf and slice the top off to create a lid in the loaf and remove. Pull out the centre of the loaf and tear into bite sized pieces before placing into a bowl. Dress the torn bread with the olive oil then place onto a baking tray and cook for 10-12 minutes in an oven set at 200c / gas mark 6 or until golden.
Place the large and cherry tomatoes into a large bowl along with the cucumber and onion. Sprinkle with a good pinch of salt then leave to come to room temperature. This will take around 10 minutes.
Dress the tomatoes with the olive oil, vinegar, garlic and honey, toss through the ciabatta then leave to stand for another 10 minutes, season with more salt if needed and some pepper, toss well to make sure the bread soaks up the dressing.
Meanwhile, place the chicken into a resealable freezer bag and add the garlic, thyme, and olive oil, massage to make sure everything is mixed. Preheat a griddle pan then place on the goujons, cook for around 2-3 minutes per side or until cooked through.
Divide the tomatoes onto serving plates or spoon inside the hollowed out loaf along with any juices then top with the chicken, bocconcini and fresh basil