Fennel and orange salad with chicken
Fennel is one of my favorite ingredients. I love using it in a good fennel salad and this fennel and orange salad with chicken is perfect for a quick lunch. It comes together really quickly and is filling too.
I had some fennel leftover in the fridge and so I was looking for fennel inspiration outside of the one I always turn to when I want a salad with fennel (which is one with courgette and quite good too. ( Here is the recipe for that too.) So I typed in “fennel salad whole30” and my eye was drawn towards the salad originally made by The Grizzly Kitchen and that was posted on the whole30 website. And I made it straight away with some alterations.
Fennel and orange salad with chicken
For making the fennel salad it’s good to have something like a mandolin although you can also use a sharp knife to chop the fennel bulb. I love crunchy fennel but if you don’t want it too crunchy make sure to slice it thinly. Place the fennel in a large bowl while you work on the chicken. Save the fennel fronds for decoration if you want. (and you can eat them too!)
I have used chicken thighs here but you can replace those with chicken breast if you want less fat in the salad. Slice the chicken fillets in smaller pieces and sprinkle with black pepper and salt.
I’ve used a ready made spice mix we can buy here in the Netherlands called “lemon pepper”. It’s a mix of lemon and pepper as the word suggest and gives a bit of a fresh hint to the pepper. But using regular pepper and salt is also fine.
Using a large skillet or griddle pan on medium heat melt the coconut oil and brown and cook the chicken until golden brown and done. Set aside to cool a bit.
Segmenting the oranges
Now you also need to segment the oranges so you have nice and clean orange slices. I cut the whole orange very thick so you peel all the white pith around the orange too. Then using a very sharp knife I slice the oranges out of the membranes. Make sure to do this above a bowl so you keep all the orange juice. You need this for the dressing too. If it’s the season for blood oranges you can use those too. I love the color of blood oranges but they’re not easy to find here.
Once the oranges are cut, the chicken is browned and the fresh fennel is sliced you’re almost there.
Making the dressing
For making the dressing you combine the spices with the herbs, the lemon juice and the orange juice and you whisk it together with the olive oil. You’re not gonna need the entire quantity of the dressing but it’s delicious to keep for a future salad. You can easily save the remainder in the fridge.
Mix the shaved fennel, the chicken pieces , the orange wedges and the orange dressing together and add some arugula to the bowl and you’re salad is done.
Additions and variations
This delicious simple salad is easy to vary and it’s delicious for a nice spring salad. You can add some red onion if you want. Fresh mint is also a good addition.
Fennel orange salad with chicken and avocado
Ingredients
- 250 gram chicken thigh fillet
- 1/2 tsp black pepper basically a combination of lemon and pepper together
- 1 tsp Coconut oil
- 1 ripe avocado pitted and cut into little chunks
- 1 head fennel shaved thin
- 2 oranges segmented, juiced saved
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Reserved juice from citrus
- 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 bunch arugula
How to make the fennel salad
- Start by cutting your chicken in to small pieces and season them with the black pepper. Heat the coconut oil in a frying pan and once hot bake your chicken golden brown and crispy.
- Peel the oranges with a sharp knife removing all of the rind and the white parts of the outside too. Segment the rest above a bowl to catch the juice. Put the segments into another bowl.
- In a small mixing bowl combine the cardamom, the italian herbs, lemon juice, orange juice that you reserved, salt and pepper and combine. Add the olive oil while whisking and the dressing will come together.
- Slice your fennel very thinly or use a mandoline. Combine the fennel, the arugula, the orange segments and the avocado together and mix. Add some of the dressing but not everything yet. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
- Mix your chicken in the salad and divide across two bowls. Add a little bit more of the dressing and serve the rest on the side.
Nutrition Information per portion
Disclaimer
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
8 comments on “Fennel and orange salad with chicken”
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A tasty combination and wholesome salad!
Cheers,
Rosa
Thanks Rosa!
This sound simple and delicious Simone! and it’s healthy too, oh my 😉
Yes, aren’t those the best combinations ever? Healthy AND delicious! 😉
Love fennel! And use it often in salads. Have never combined it with orange, though. Gotta try that! Thanks.
Thanks John! It’s quite delicious!
I’ve never heard of the whole30 before, but fennel and oranges and oranges and avocado are always a hit. And some chicken can only make it better.
I can only agree to that!