Mesquite chicken with grilled peach salad
This summery sweet and smoky chicken salad with guacamole makes a hearty lunch or an exciting option for any barbecue or summer party. Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients - they're mostly in your store cupboard.
Ingredients
For the mesquite chicken
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp light brown sugar
- 1 fresh rosemary sprig, needles very finely chopped
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf, crumbled
- 1 tsp smoked salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 lime, juice and zest
- 1 tsp honey
- 2 large chicken breasts, butterflied
For the guacamole
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 1 lime, juice and zest
- pinch ground cumin
- 2 avocados, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 large tomato, seeds removed, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 red chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped
- small bunch fresh coriander, finely chopped
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the salad
- 2 peaches, stones removed and quartered
- bunch spring onions, trimmed
- 1–2 tsp olive oil
- 100g/3½oz baby salad leaves
- 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
- 1 red pepper, cut into strips
- ½ small cucumber, cut into crescents
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped
- 125²µ/4½´Ç³ú burrata or mozzarella ball, torn up
- few sprigs mint, to garnish
For the vinaigrette
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
- generous pinch smoked chilli
- ½ tsp honey
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
For the Mesquite chicken, mix the paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder, sugar, rosemary, oregano, bay leaf and salt in a bowl. Stir in the olive oil. Add the garlic, lime juice, lime zest and honey.
Coat the chicken in the spice rub and leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
Preheat a grill or barbecue to hot. Remove the chicken from the marinade, scraping off any excess (this is particularly important if using the barbecue as the drips will cause flaming). Grill the chicken for 8–10 minutes, turning regularly. Check that the chicken is cooked through (the juices should run clear with no trace of pink when the thickest part of the meat is pierced with a skewer).
Meanwhile, for the guacamole, put the onion in a bowl, cover in cold water and leave to stand for 30 minutes. Drain. Put the lime juice, lime zest ½ tsp sea salt and cumin into a bowl. Add the avocado, tomato, chilli, coriander and onion. Stir to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper.
For the salad, preheat a griddle pan and griddle the peach quarters for 2–3 minutes on each side. Remove and leave to cool. Toss the spring onions in the oil and grill for 2–3 minutes on each side until, softened and lightly charred. Cut into sections on the diagonal. Arrange the salad leaves in a large platter and top with the fennel, pepper and cucumber. Arrange the peach slices and spring onions over the salad then sprinkle over the chilli.
Whisk all of the vinaigrette ingredients together in a jug and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad and scatter over the burrata. Finally, sprinkle over the mint leaves. Serve with the mesquite chicken and guacamole.
