Roast Chicken, Walnut & Feta Bowls

I have a bit of a thing for one-tray roast dinners at the moment. I love being able to pop everything in the oven, set the timer and then read books with my boys while dinner cooks itself.

If you aren’t in the mood to cook, make this even easier buy picking up some pre-roasted nuts and 1/2 BBQ chicken. Then pop it in a bowl, mix up the dressing and dinner is ready.

If you can get chicken thighs with the skin on this is even better because you get that lovely roast chicken skin goodness. Either way, I leave any fat on so it keeps the chicken succulent.

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Roast Chicken, Walnut & Feta Bowls

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

• 4 chicken thigh fillets
• 2 generous handfuls walnuts
• 100 g feta
• 4 tablespoons Greek yoghurt
• 1 bag baby spinach

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 250C (480F). Place chicken in a roasting pan. Drizzle with a little oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 10 minutes.
2. Add walnuts and roast for another 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and nuts are toasted. I like to cut into the chicken ‘to be sure, to be sure’ (as my Irishman would say). If you can still see any pink pop it back in the oven for another 5 minutes.
3. For the dressing combine yoghurt with 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper.
4. When the chicken is cooked, slice into bite sized pieces. Divide spinach between two bowls. Top with chicken and walnuts. Crumble over feta and drizzle over yoghurt dressing.

WINE MATCH: A big buttery Chardonnay or a light red like Pinot Noir.

Variations & Substitutions for Roast Chicken, Walnut & Feta Bowls

vegetarian – roast mushrooms or chickpeas and walnuts are lovely. Grilled veg like eggplant, zucchini and capsicum (bell peppers) are also lovely with the yoghurt and toasted nuts.

more substantial (low carb) – double the feta, chicken and walnuts or more butter.

dairy-free / paleo – replace feta with avocado chunks or extra nuts. And make a lemon juice and olive oil dressing instead of the yoghurt. Coconut yoghurt is another option.

more substantial (carb-lovers) – toss in some cooked pasta or torn chunks of sourdough bread (bread salads are soo good!). You might like to increase the dressing. Serving with potatoes would also work well.

different nuts – I have a thing for walnuts at the moment but almonds, macadamias, brazil nuts or cashews would all work.

nut-free – replace with toasted bread croutons or cooked chickpeas.

Problem Solving Guide

bland – next time use a different chicken supplier. For now more salt will help. And a squeeze of lemon or some chilli oil.

too dry / tough – overcooked chicken. For now drizzle with extra virgin olive oil or more mayo. Slicing the cooked chicken as thinly as possible with a knife can help. Next time don’t cook the chicken as long.

no oven – slice chicken and stir fry in a wok or frying pan instead. Use pre-roasted nuts or roast them in a dry pan on a medium high heat for a few minutes.

too salty – be careful with feta – it can be easy to over season. For now the only solution is dilution – so toss in some more spinach or other chopped raw veg.

Waste Avoidance Strategy

chicken thigh fillets – freeze them.

walnuts – keep them in the pantry.

feta – keeps for months unopened in its packet. Or can be frozen. Or you could make a marinated feta by putting it in a super clean jar from the dishwasher and covering with oil and then keeping it in the fridge. Sometimes I like to add flavourings like bay leaves, lemon zest and pepper corns or chilli.

greek yoghurt – usually has a shelf life of a month or so. Otherwise, have it for another meal like breakfast! Don’t freeze.

baby spinach – either freeze or wilt down in a pan with a little oil and then keep in the fridge for weeks.

Prepare Ahead

Best when freshly made. You could roast the chicken and nuts ahead of time. Roast and store them separately and bring everything together before serving. Roast chicken will keep in the fridge for up to a week or frozen. Roast nuts will keep in the pantry for a month or longer.

More Recipes Similar to Roast Chicken, Walnut & Feta Bowls

• Doreen’s Jalapeno Chicken
• Chicken Caesar Oven Supper
• Spiced Roast Chicken & Cauliflower Salad with Tahini Maple Dressing
• Spiced Chicken with Ginger Almond Sauce
• Salmon, Pea & Prosciutto Oven Supper

With Love

Jules x

Tags: baby spinach, chicken, feta, greek yoghurt, walnuts