Lemongrass chicken pasta salad

Serves: 4

Time to make: 30 mins , plus marinating

Ingredients

More weights & measures

500g skinless, boneless chicken thighs
2 tablespoons lemongrass paste
4cm piece fresh ginger, grated
1 tablespoon oil
3-4 tablespoons lemon juice
Salad
200g pasta (tortiglioni, penne or spirals)
1 ½ cup corn sweetcornXkernels
4 cups baby spinach
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
⅓ cup semi-dried tomatoes, chopped
⅓ cup sultanasgolden raisinsX
1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
⅓ cup fresh coriandercilantroX or fresh basil, roughly chopped, plus extra, to garnish
3 tablespoons flaked almonds
freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Stay Awake

1 Mix chicken with lemongrass paste, ginger, oil and lemon juice. Leave to marinate for at least an hour or overnight.

2 Pan-fry marinated chicken until golden. Set aside to cool slightly.

3 Cook pasta until tender, almost draining, but keeping 4 tablespoons of cooking water (this stops the pasta from sticking). Transfer to a large bowl.

4 Add the remaining salad ingredients to the pasta. Toss to combine.

5 Break chicken into chunks and add to salad. Season with pepper. Serve warm or chilled, garnished with fresh herbs.

Variations

You can use any shape of pasta with this salad but a chunky one such as tortiglioni adds great texture.
Make it gluten free: Use gluten-free pasta and check the lemongrass paste is gluten free.

HFG tip

When marinating chicken, use a non-metallic dish (to avoid a metallic taste). Cover and chill in the fridge. The longer the chicken is marinated, the more intense the flavour.

Nutrition Info (per serve)

Calories 597 cal

Kilojoules 2500 kJ

Protein 36 g

Total fat 22 g

Saturated fat 4 g

Carbohydrates 65 g

Sugar 16 g

Dietary fibre 7 g

Sodium 420 mg

Calcium 120 mg

Iron 4.5 mg

Note: This nutrition analysis is a guide only. Nutrition composition will vary depending on the exact ingredients used. See our guides on your optimal daily nutrition intake, and supermarket shopping.