Harissa Chicken with Shirazi Salad

Cooking with different flavours excites me. Harissa is an ingredient I have always enjoyed, but definitely do not utilise enough in my kitchen – silly, really, as it's so versatile and can liven up a simple plate of food in an instant.

Not only is this dish completely delicious, it looks like it takes a lot more effort than it actually does! It's surprising simplicity makes it great for a mid-week meal, but it's so striking when served you can totally wow guests with it, too. (I did!)

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Harissa Chicken, Shirazi Salad and Whipped Feta Feast

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

600g chicken breast, cut into strips

60g harissa paste

Fresh coriander, shredded

Pomegranate seeds

For the Shirazi salad:

1 beef tomato

1/2 cucumber

1 red onion

Fresh parsley

1 lemon

Salt

For the whipped feta:

100g feta

1-2tbsp natural yoghurt

Olive oil

Paprika

Method:

1. Toss the chicken strips in the harissa paste (you can leave these to marinate all day in the fridge, if you like). Cook them in a pan over a medium heat with a little drizzle of olive oil until they are cooked through.

2. Meanwhile, for the salad, finely dice the tomato, cucumber and red onion. Toss these together in a bowl before squeezing with the juice from the lemon. Chop the parsley and add to the bowl along with the salt. Set aside until ready to serve.

3. For the whipped feta, crumble the cheese into a blender with 1tbsp of the yoghurt. Blend them together – you want the yoghurt to loosen the feta slightly, but not until it is runny. Add a little more yoghurt if it is still too solid. To serve, pour into a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle paprika over the top. It's the perfect dip!

4. Plate your cooked chicken and sprinkle with the coriander and pomegranate seeds. You could plate the other elements, or serve it as a platter and let people help themselves. I served with shop-bought flatbreads which worked as the perfect vessel for a concoction of chicken, salad and whipped feta!