Apple, celery and walnut salad with spicy chicken

45 MINUTES + MARINATING SERVES 6 | EASY | GF

A little twist on the famous Waldorf salad, the spicy chicken perks up the dish, but of course can be omitted if you’d rather the original delicious combination. celery Ω head, cut into 4cm chunks green dessert apples 225g (such as Cox’s Orange Pippin or Granny Smith) red dessert apples 225g (such as Gala) lemon juice 2 tbsp caster sugar 1 tsp mayonnaise 150ml (see recipe below or use ready-made) walnuts 50g, roughly chopped crisp lettuce 1 watercress a few sprigs flat-leaf parsley a small handful, chopped, plus extra to garnish

SPICY CHICKEN

cumin seeds ground to make 1 tbsp paprika 1 tbsp cayenne pepper 1-1Ω tsp ground turmeric 1 tbsp caster sugar 1 tsp black peppercorns ground to make 1 tsp garlic 3 cloves, crushed lemon juice 5 tbsp chicken breasts 2 large sunflower oil 2-3 tbsp

MAYONNAISE

egg yolks 2 english mustard powder a pinch white wine vinegar 2 tsp sunflower oil 175ml olive oil 50ml

• To make the spicy chicken, mix all the ingredients except the meat and oil, plus

2 tsp salt, together in a bowl. Slash the chicken with a sharp knife in a couple of places. Rub the paste all over the chicken, put in a bowl and cover. Chill for at least 3 hours.

• Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Put the chicken into a roasting tin with all the paste. Brush or drizzle with the sunflower oil and bake for 20 minutes, then turn over and bake for a further 20-25 minutes depending on the size of the chicken breasts. Baste 2-3 times during cooking. Transfer to a serving dish, spoon the juices over the chicken and set aside to cool.

• To make the mayonnaise, put the egg yolks into a bowl with the mustard, 1/4 tsp salt and white wine vinegar. Put the oil into a measuring jug with a good pouring spout. Take a whisk in one hand and the oil in the other, and drip the oil onto the egg yolks, drop by drop, whisking at the same time. Within a minute you will notice that the mixture is beginning to thicken. When this happens you can add the oil a little faster, but don’t get too cheeky or it will suddenly curdle. Taste and add a little more seasoning if necessary.

• Put the celery into a bowl of iced water for 15-20 minutes. Core the apples and cut into 1cm dice. Make a dressing by mixing most of the freshly squeezed lemon juice and caster sugar (reserve a little of both) with 1 tbsp of the mayonnaise. Toss the diced apple in the dressing and set aside while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

• Add the celery and most of the walnuts to the diced apple with the remaining mayonnaise and chopped parsley, then mix thoroughly. Taste and add more lemon or sugar if necessary. Slice the cold chicken crosswise and toss lightly through the salad.

• Put a few crisp lettuce leaves on each plate, pile the salad alongside, add a few sprigs of watercress, scatter the remaining chopped walnuts on top and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

PER SERVING 414 KCALS | FAT 32.9G SATURATES 4.3G | CARBS 11.8G | SUGARS 11.6G FIBRE 3.2G | PROTEIN 16G | SALT 1.9G