Blackened Chicken and Grilled Halloumi Salad with Fresh Berries

This salad offers the flavours of Spring on a plate! This vibrant salad has a salty bite from the grilled halloumi, umami from the chicken, creaminess from the avocado, sweetness from the berries and a fresh kick from the lemon and mint. It’s low-carb and gluten-free and with a couple of quick substitutions or items removed can also be made dairy-free or vegetarian.

Blackened Chicken and Grilled Halloumi Salad with Fresh Berries

Prep time:  12 minutes
Cook time: 18 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Yield: Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

For the Salad

• 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterflied or halved and pounded to an even thickness

• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil

• 2 tbsp. Cajun spice (or substitute your favourite spice mix)

• ~175g halloumi cheese, cut into 1/3-inch slices

• ~8 cups spring mix

• 1 avocado, sliced

• 2 cups berries of choice (I used a mix of blueberries, raspberries, sliced strawberries and blackberries)

• ½ cup fresh mint, roughly chopped

For the Lemon Shallot Dressing

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

• Juice of 1 lemon (around 3 tbsp.)

• 3 tbsp. minced shallot

• ½ tsp. Dijon mustard

• ½ tsp. honey

• Salt and pepper to taste
  

DIRECTIONS

Place all ingredients “for the dressing” in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside until ready to use.

When prepping the chicken breasts, the goal is to ensure they are either cut or pounded thin to an even thickness so that they cook quickly and uniformly. This will ensure a juicy end product! You should have 4 pieces total when you’re done – either butterfly each chicken breast and cut in half, or use a kitchen mallet to pound each breast and cut in half when you’re done.

Rub the Cajun spice all over all sides of the chicken until well coated. Heat the oil in a large cast-iron pan (or heavy bottomed pan) over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken for approximately 5-7 minutes per side or until they reach an internal temperature of 74C or 160F.

Once the chicken is done cooking, let it rest, covered, for 5 minutes before slicing. While the chicken is resting, heat a non-stick fry pan over medium-high. Add the sliced halloumi to the pan in a single layer and cook until browned, approximately 1-2 minutes per side.

Place the Spring mix in the bottom of a large serving bowl. Neatly arrange the berries on top, alongside the sliced avocado, grilled chicken and grilled halloumi. Garnish with the chopped mint and pour the dressing overtop before serving.