There is something so restorative about chicken and mushroom soup that I wanted to see if the same could be said of this. I don’t know if it would cure a cold but there is something uplifting about its lightness.
Ingredients
- 2 free-range chicken breasts
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Leaves from 2 fresh thyme sprigs
- 50g pine nuts
- 8 medium button mushrooms
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- Extra-virgin olive oil or salad oil
- 4 slices bruschetta (see tip, above)
- 2 generous handfuls of lamb’s lettuce leaves, washed and dried
Method
- 1. Preheat the oven to its highest setting. Rub the chicken breasts with the oil, thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and cracked black pepper. Place in a small roasting tray and cook for 15 minutes, or until cooked through and turning golden. Set aside and allow to cool a bit.
- 2. Meanwhile, place the pine nuts on a baking sheet and roast at the same temperature for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown. Set aside.
- 3. Slice the mushrooms as finely as you can (slivers are what you’re after). Now lay them on a plate and squeeze the lemon juice over them. Drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil (or a salad oil of your choice).
- 4. Prepare the bruschetta and put each slice on a plate. Slice the chicken as finely as you can, reserving any juices. Toss the chicken, mushrooms and lettuce with any juices, then check the seasoning.
- 5. Divide the salad between the rounds of bruschetta and scatter with the pine nuts. Drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil. For extra decadence you could finish this off with shaved Parmesan.
Nutritional info
Per serving: 380kcals, 23.5g fat (3.5g saturated), 25g protein, 18.3g carbs, 1.8g sugar, 1.3g salt
Chef's tip
If you can’t find lamb’s lettuce leaves, you could use a frisée lettuce heart or a head of chicory. To make bruschetta, grill or griddle good bread on both sides, rub with the cut side of a garlic clove, anoint liberally with extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt.