Three Rice Chicken Salad

This zingy three rice chicken salad is bursting with flavour. A great friend of mine George told me about this dish and I was keen to try it out. Father's day was the perfect opportunity. Delicious, simple, full of flavour and easy to make and the main ingredient is roast chicken my favourite! It's the perfect summer recipe and a great one if feeding a crowd. This was just for the family today but will have leftovers all week!

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 Whole Chicken(Remove the bones, skin and shred the chicken meat)

1 garlic bulb, halved

1 whole lemon, halved

2 springs of rosemary

4 tablespoons of olive oil (not Extra Virgin olive oil)

100g softened butter

56g dry wild rice

200g dry basmati rice

56g dry brown rice

1 white onion, diced and chopped

6 spring onions, chopped thinly

2 large handfuls of mixed salad leaves or rocket

3 mild red chilies, seeded and cut into thin strips

50g of fresh coriander, chopped

50g of mint leaves, chopped

Sea salt and black pepper to season

For the dressing: - Double quantities

4 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce

Method:

To roast the chicken:

• Pre heat oven to 220°C/Fan 180°C/Gas mark 8

• Smear 100g butter over the chicken and season well inside and out. Place the rosemary, half bulb of garlic and half a lemon inside the cavity of the chicken.

• Place the chicken into a deep roasting tray. Pour over about 2 ½ tablespoons of olive oil and place in the oven for 10 mins then turn down to 190°c.

• Roast in the oven for 1 hour 20 minutes, until the chicken is thoroughly cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool.

• While the chicken is roasting in the oven, cook the rice in a separate pan following the guidelines on the packaging. Bring to a boil and simmer gently, uncovered.

• Remove all of the chicken skin and set aside, then use two forks to strip and shred meat off the chicken. Place in a large bowl.

To make the dressing:

• Whisk all of the dressing ingredients together and gently pour over the shredded chicken meat.

• Heat the remaining 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil in a pan, add the onion and a pinch of salt, and fry over medium heat until golden. Set aside and leave to cool.

• Add the rice, fried onion, spring onions, red chilies, and chopped herbs to the chicken. Mix well and add salt or pepper to taste.