Grilled paprika chicken salad with farro

Tangy, smoky paprika yoghurt, nutty farro and a crunchy chicken salad comes together for a filling, fresh Mediterranean-style meal - finished with a sprinkle of almonds. Ingredients like farro, almonds and green veggies are mood-boosting foods which support positive mental health.

Recipe brought to you by Fresh Start by My Food Bag

Serves: 4

Ready in time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

Farro

• 200g cracked farro

Chicken

• 500-600g boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Salad 

• 1 bunch of asparagus, ends trimmed or 1 broccoli, cut into small florets
• 2 spring onion, thinly sliced
• 1 telegraph cucumber, thinly sliced 
• 2 baby cos lettuce, leaves separated 
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

Paprika Yoghurt

• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup Greek yoghurt
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

To Serve 

• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ¼ cup sliced almonds

Method

1. Bring two pots of salted water to the boil.
2. Once boiling, add farro to first pot of boiling water and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until tender with a slight bite. Drain, rinse under cold water, then drain again.
3. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a frypan on medium-high heat. Cook chicken for 6-9 minutes each side (depending on thickness), or until cooked through. Rest, covered, before thinly slicing.
4. Trim woody ends from asparagus and cut in half or cut broccoli into small florets. Add to second pot of boiling water and cook for 3 minutes, until bright green and tender. Drain, refresh under cold water, drain again and set aside.
5. Thinly slice spring onion and cucumber. Separate lettuce leaves. Toss all in a bowl with chicken, cooked greens, vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Mince garlic. Combine in a bowl with yoghurt, lemon juice, olive oil and smoked paprika. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Spread paprika yoghurt sauce onto plates and top with farro, followed by chicken salad. Sprinkle with smoked paprika and sliced almonds.

Top Tip

If you can’t get your hands on farro you can use any other grain like brown rice, bulgur wheat or couscous.