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Sicilian orange, olive and radicchio salad with grilled chicken

A vibrant marriage of Mediterranean flavours - Andrew Twort
A vibrant marriage of Mediterranean flavours - Andrew Twort

If winter is getting you down, and you've eaten too much heavy northern European food, you may welcome this splash of brightness and colour in your diet.

Prep time: 15 minutes, plus 30 minutes marinating | Cooking time: 15 minutes

SERVES

Four

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 or 8 boneless chicken thighs

  • 50ml, plus 1 tbsp, extra virgin olive oil

  • 4 blood or navel oranges

  • 1 large radicchio, any kind

  • 1 bulb of fennel, finely sliced (I use a mandoline)

  • 1 large red onion, very thinly sliced

  • 20 stoneless black olives

  • 12 basil leaves

  • 15ml red wine vinegar

METHOD

  1. Coat the chicken thighs in one tablespoon of the extra virgin olive oil and a few twists of black pepper. Grate over the zest of one of the oranges. Toss together and set aside (out of the fridge) for 30 minutes.

  2. Meanwhile, slice the top and bottom off each orange and use a sharp knife to slice between the membranes and carefully remove the segments. Set them aside.

  3. Cooking the chicken will create a bit of smoke, so turn on your extractor fan!

  4. Heat a grill pan (I use a cast-iron griddle pan) until hot, and add the chicken pieces skin side down.

  5. Leave the skin to form a crust before you try to turn it. When a crust has formed, the chicken will come away from the grill. Cook on the other side for three minutes or until cooked through. When the chicken is cooked, season well and remove it to rest on a warm plate while you assemble the salad.

  6. In a large salad bowl, tear in the radicchio, add the orange segments, fennel, red onion and olives, and tear in the basil.

  7. To make the dressing, add a good pinch of salt to the red wine vinegar and allow to dissolve. Add the remaining 50ml olive oil and whisk together. Pour this over the salad and toss with some seasoning.

  8. To serve, put a large spoonful of the salad in the centre of each plate and put the charred chicken on top.