I love this spicy chicken which is super-easy to make thanks to the hot South-African spice rub that I use for it. It’s a lovely side or topping for a salad, a tapas, or it may as well be served a s a main, e.g. with a side of sweet potato puree. I prepare the chicken breast in the oven at a not so high temperature so it comes out juicy and tender.

I recently prepared the chicken and had it with a side of salad topped with grilled vegetables, and I think it looked (and was!) so appetizing and tasty, and the combination went together really well. So I hope you will like it, too. – I think the best way to prepare the grilled vegetables, by the way, is on the barbecue. If you do not have a barbecue, you may as well prepare them in a grill pan, it will take a bit longer.

Sanni

Ingredients (serves 2):

For the chicken:

• 1 (large) organic or free-range chicken breast (both with or without skin can be used)
• Salt
• Peri peri spice mix
• 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
• Squeeze of lemon juice

For the salad:

• 2-3 tablespoons of sunflower oil
• 1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise into three to four thick slices
• 1 green pepper, cut in half, membrane and seeds removed
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil (for cooking)
• 250 grams of large oyster mushrooms
• Freshly ground pepper, salt
• 1 1/2 romano lettuce hearts, washed and roughly chopped
• 8 to 10 grape tomatoes, cut into halves
• 1 tablespoon of dried cherries

For the dressing:

• 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of Dijon honey mustard
• freshly ground pepper, salt
• finely chopped parsley or Italian herb mix

Preparation:

Preparing the chicken:

1. Rub the chicken with olive oil and salt.
2. Generously rub with the peri peri spice mix. The meat should be fully covered by the mix from all sides.
3. Place in an oven dish and squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the chicken.
4. Cover and place in the oven at 150 degrees Celsius for approximately 45 minutes until fully cooked.
5. Let rest outside the oven for a while before removing the cover.
6. If you are having the chicken cold, wrap in aluminium foil or place in an airtight container to let cool down completely. Cut sideways into ca. 1.5 cm thick strips when fully cooled down.
7. Serve e.g. in a preserving jar on the side of the salad.

Preparing the salad and the dressing:

1. Season the zucchini with salt and pepper.
2. Brush the grid of your barbecue with sunflower oil. Place the zucchini and peppers on the medium-hot barbecue and barbecue from both sides until done. I recommend closing the lid of the barbecue. (Alternatively, prepare in a grill pan. Use a heavy saucepan or similar to weigh down the vegetables while grilling.)
3. Let the vegetables cool down. Peel the skin off the peppers and cut the grilled vegetables into large pieces.
4. Over medium to high heat, warm up the butter and olive oil in a wok or frying pan.
5. Add the mushrooms and sauté until done and nicely brown. Season with salt and allow to cool down.
6. Place the lettuce in serving dishes or in a large bowl. Arrange the tomato halves and grilled vegetables on top and sprinkle some dried cherries on top.
7. Mix the ingredients for the dressing in a shaker and pour over the salad.