Roasted dutch carrots with orange fennel chicken

served with roasted parsnip, purple carrots and crispy chickpeas 

(serves 4-6)

This salad was originally inspired by a Moroccan chicken salad that i had at a trendy cafe in Camperdown called Hoochie mama. The bitter rocket worked well with the adorable sweet roasted baby carrots and crispy chickpeas. I didn't quite get the moroccan chicken component right, but i blame this on having never been to Morocco?? Anyhow, this is a variation that was also cross-inspired by the orange-fennel chicken skewers in Donna Hay's Fresh and Light book. It turned out to be a colourful and scrumptious salad with a bit of a fennel seed kick throughout! We made it for a first birthday party partly because i feel baby carrots works well for baby parties? :) 

A special mention to a recent discovery of orange blossom water. I had been reading about this and finally spotted it in our local grocery store so snapped up a small bottle. It is very fragrant and adds a small splash seems to add a taste of summer into the salad! :) Must try in a few more recipes!

Prep time: 30 min

Cooking time: 1hr

Ingredients

400 g chicken thigh fillet

400 g can of chickpeas

2 tsp fennel seeds

2 bunches Dutch carrots

2 purple carrots

2 parsnips

1 tsp cajun spice

150 g watercress, rinsed and trimmed

100 g rocket

Marinade/dressing

Juice and rind of 1 orange 1 tsp salt

½ tsp Cajun seasoning

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp olive oil

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C. 

2. Combine the juice and rind of the orange, salt, cajun, fennel seeds, honey, lemon juice and oil. 

3. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and marinate in half the dressing. Set aside for at least 1hr.

4. Meanwhile, drain the chickpeas and pat dry. Dress with olive oil, salt, pepper, 1/2 tsp cajun seasoning and 1 tsp fennel seeds. Spread on a baking tray lined with foil. 

5. Dress the dutch carrots (wash but don't peel) with olive oil, salt and pepper and also place on the baking tray. Roast for 40-45min, turning occasionally.

6. Peel and cut the  purple carrot and parsnips into 1cm thick strips. Dress with olive oil, salt, pepper, 1/2 tsp cajun spice and  1tsp fennel seeds. Place on a separate baking tray and roast for 30-40min or until crisp. turning occasionally

7. Cook the chicken under the grill or sauté on a frypan with 1/2 T oil for 10-15min until cooked through. You may need to drain the juices and then sauté for a further 5 minutes to brown.

8. Clean the watercress and rocket. Combine the dressing ingredients and season to taste with salt, pepper and honey as needed. Dress the salad leaves with half the dressing.

9. Combine the roasted purple carrots, parsnip, chicken, watercress and rocket. Top with the dutch carrots and sprinkle over with the chickpeas. Serve with the remaining dressing on the side!