Winter Chicken, Fennel, Watercress & Mint Salad

Feeds 2

Ingredients

• 4 pieces of boneless chicken thigh meat
• 2tbsp grapeseed oil
• 50g unsalted butter
• 2 limes, for the juice
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 telegraph cucumber
• 1 x fennel bulb
• A handful of mint leaves
• 2 handfuls of watercress
• A sprinkling of tamari-toasted seeds (available from supermarkets)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Put the chicken thighs into a small roasting dish, pour over the grapeseed oil, add the butter and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, until they are cooked through.

Remove from the oven and cut into thick, meaty chunks. Squeeze the lime juice into the roasting tin and place over medium heat on the stovetop. Add the fish sauce and warm gently, scraping up any sticky bits on the bottom of the tin. Season with a couple of turns of the pepper mill.

Using a potato peeler, shave the cucumber from top to bottom into long, wide strips, on all four sides, discarding the central core of seeds. Slice the fennel bulb as thinly as possible. Mix together in a bowl.

Return the chicken pieces to the pan and toss gently in the dressing. Tear the mint leaves into pieces then toss them with the cucumber, fennel and watercress. Toss everything together, divide between two serving plates and scatter the tamari seeds over the top.