Chicken breast with a nutty crust

A coating of finely chopped walnuts adds a delicious finishing flourish to roasted chicken breast. Give it a try.

Spice-roasted beetroot, carrot and kale

1 beetroot, scrubbed and diced 1cm 1 carrot, diced 1cm 11⁄ teaspoons roast vegetable spice mix (see below)

teaspoon oil, for roasting (or use spray oil) teaspoon salt head broccoli, cut into small florets

2 handfuls baby kale leaves

Roast vegetable spice mix

teaspoon whole cumin seeds teaspoon whole yellow mustard seeds teaspoon whole fennel seeds teaspoon whole coriander seeds

Walnut-crusted chicken

300g skinless, boneless chicken breasts 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 11⁄ tablespoons finely chopped walnuts

To serve

75g plain hummus (store-bought) Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Line two oven trays with baking paper. Toss beetroot, carrot and roast vegetable spice mix with oil and salt on first prepared tray. Season with pepper and roast for about 20 minutes, until tender. Turn once during cooking. With 10 minutes’ cook time remaining, toss through broccoli and roast, until tender.

Pat chicken dry with paper towels and cut into steaks. To do this, place your hand flat on top of chicken breast and use a knife to slice through horizontally to make two thin steaks. Place on second prepared tray and season with salt and pepper. Brush lightly with mustard and evenly coat with walnuts.

Bake chicken (on oven rack below vegetables) for 6-8 minutes (depending on thickness), until chicken is cooked through. Remove tray from oven and set chicken aside to rest for 2-3 minutes.

When vegetables have finished cooking, remove tray from oven and toss through baby kale. Return to oven to wilt for 1-2 minutes. Slice chicken thickly, if desired.

To serve, divide spice-roasted beetroot, carrot and kale between plates. Top with walnut-crusted chicken and a dollop of hummus. Drizzle over any resting juices from chicken, if desired.

MyFood Bag Fresh Start recipes are 450 calories or less per serve, have lean protein and loads of vegetables, and are lower in gluten and dairy.

Walnut-crusted chicken with spice roasted beetroot, carrot & kale from My Food Bag’s Fresh Start menu.