• Poached chicken and fig salad with Gorgonzola dressing

    Serves: 4
    Cooking Time: 25 mins

    Ingredients

    • SALAD
    • 1L (4 cups) chicken stock
    • 3 bay leaves
    • 4 peppercorns
    • 4 skinless chicken breasts
    • 8 figs, quartered
    • 1½ avocados, diced
    • 60ml (¼ cup) pumpkin seeds, toasted
    • 12 cucumber ribbons
    • 1 spring onion, thinly sliced
    • 80g fresh watercress
    • DRESSING
    • 60g Gorgonzola
    • 5ml (1 tsp) Dijon mustard
    • 15ml (1 tbsp) red wine vinegar
    • 80ml ( cup) fresh cream
    • 60ml (¼ cup) milk
    • 5ml (1 tsp) chives, finely chopped
    • salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

    Instructions

    1

    For the poached chicken, combine the chicken stock, bay leaves and peppercorns, and bring to a gentle simmer. Carefully add the chicken breasts to the warm stock and simmer uncovered until cooked, 10 – 12 minutes. Remove from the warm liquid and set aside to cool.

    2

    For the dressing, use a hand blender to blitz the Gorgonzola, mustard, vinegar, cream and milk together until smooth. Stir in the chopped chives and season.

    3

    To make the salad, toss the figs, avocado, pumpkin seeds, cucumber and spring onion together. Serve on a bed of watercress.

    4

    Thinly slice the chicken breasts and scatter on top. Add a drizzle of the dressing just before serving.