Spinach Salad with Chicken and Lentils
Ingredients
2 servings
- Spinach 2 bunches
- Chicken fillet 1
- Green lentils 0.5 cup (85 g)
- Water for cooking the lentils
- Tomatoes 2
- Cucumbers 2
- Pitted olives 10-12
- Olive oil 2 tbsp
- Balsamic vinegar a few drops
- Dried oregano a pinch
- Salt to taste
- Green onion, sweet onion or cilantro optional
Step-by-step recipe
Lentils and chicken
This spinach salad comes together quickly, since you can fry the chicken and boil the lentils at the same time. For salads I use green lentils. Red ones are better for soups.
Cook the lentils: cover the soaked green lentils with water and cook for 10-15 mins from the start of boiling over medium heat. It is important that they do not fall apart, so the time may be shorter or longer, and you need to taste them for doneness. Dry, unsoaked lentils should be simmered gently, which takes up to half an hour. Cool the cooked lentils to room temperature.
Fry the chicken fillet: pound it lightly to even out the thickness, then fry on a grill or in a dry pan over medium heat on both sides until golden and cooked through. Cool to room temperature.
The salad
Prepare the spinach: rinse the bunches and dry them well, because there should be no moisture on the leaves at all. The spinach goes into the salad raw. Do not cut green leaves with a knife, as they release juice and the salad turns watery. It is better to tear them with your fingers into large pieces, discarding the tough stems. Put the prepared spinach in a large salad bowl.
Mix the spinach with the chicken and lentils: cut the fried chicken fillet into strips or cubes, whichever you like, and add it to the bowl with the green leaves. Drain the cooled lentils in a colander and add them too. Toss, add a pinch of dried oregano and, if you like, a little salt.
Add the olives and vegetables: put pitted olives in the salad, green or black. It is especially good with olives stuffed with pepper or lemon, which you can buy in the store. Cut the tomatoes into wedges and the cucumbers into thick matchsticks, add them to the salad and mix gently.
If you like, you can add green onion or sweet onion rings, and cilantro works well too, and many people love it. It is important that spinach makes up at least half of the volume. For a colorful salad, use tomatoes of different colors.
Serving
Dress and serve: the dressing is extremely simple, a vinaigrette of 2 tbsp of your best olive oil with a few drops of balsamic vinegar. Whisk the mixture and pour it over the salad that is already divided into serving bowls, and dress it right before serving. Serve the salad at room temperature, with no need to chill it. That way the flavor and aroma of the ingredients are fully preserved, and the salad tastes much better.
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Calories and macros
510 kcal
Serving ≈ 540 g
- Protein44 g36% of kcal
- Fat21 g38% of kcal
- Carbs32 g26% of kcal
100 g94 kcalProtein 8 gFat 3.8 gCarbs 5.8 g
Calculated from the recipe ingredients, excluding salt and spices. Data: USDA and Matvaretabellen.