Chicken, bacon & avocado salad, a protein packed brunch

This salad is packed with protein and its a perfect sunday brunch idea.

I’ve talked a little about the benefits of avocado before ( see super food salad blog ), but i havent mentioned the protein benefits, each avocado contains 4g of protein, as well as that it enhances our bodies anti oxidants abilities by 200 – 400 %

That’s a big increase for a little fruit wouldn’t you say ? avocado is also very cheap, you can pick up a bag of 4 for £ 1.98 or 89p for a single in most U.K supermarkets

Another great source of lean protein is chicken containing 36g of protein in a portion.

another great dish, lemon & olive chicken tagine ( if you like to see a post about this then let me know )

the benefits of chicken –

• useful in controlling blood pressure
• helpful in managing and reducing weight
• intake of chicken instead of red meat lowers cholesterol heart disease
• good source of omega 3 fatty acids
• stronger muscles & bones

so chicken has some very good benefits, it’s also economical to buy whole chicken and break them down yourself, into 4 pieces of 8 pieces, a whole chicken only cost about £3-4 in the U.K meaning you can cut 4 or 8 pieces for a decent price  ill be doing a video soon on how to do this and also ill show you how to stuff, tie & roll with a proper butchers knot.

but that’s next..

next up is bacon, I love bacon..

although bacon is slightly unhealthy it depending on how you have it, bacon also has some very beneficial factors, a pack of bacon cost about £2

the benefits of bacon –  

• a recent study has found that pregnant women can boost their babies intelligent by eating bacon while pregnant
• bacon is a quick protein snack & doesn’t take long to cook making it convenient breakfast / brunch snack
• there is 37g of protein in a portion of bacon,  which is 71% of your recommended daily amount
• also a good source of potassium, although it doesn’t contain much, potassium intake is important

spinach, Popeye loved spinach when I was growing up, all my life I though spinach came in cans & was green mush, but no it does come in bags, and it isn’t mush

it stead its full of goodness that does make you strong.. so Popeye was right ..

the benefits of spinach –

• low in calories
• great source of vitamin K
• great source of vitamin A
• high in fibre
• good protein source
• good anti oxidant source
• helps immune system
• keeps muscles healthy & strong
• increases brain functions
• and so many more

a bag of spinach ranges from £0.75p – £1.25 depending on the brand and quality you want, I find the cheapest spinach is always fine to use, just wash and re wash well a few times, make sure no caterpillars are hiding in the greens, this does happen a lot .. even after re washing.  ( just a warning )

and that’s it a perfect protein pack lunch / brunch.  this simple dish takes about 3 minutes to put together, but it worth making as it contains 72g of protein which is your recommended daily intake in one dish so for this dish you’ll need

recipe – 

• 1 whole chicken broken down into 4 pieces or 8 pieces
• 2 avocado
• 1 bag of spinach
• 2 carrots
• 4 stripes of unsalted bacon
• salt and pepper
• 4 Tbsp lemon juice

 

method –

• cut the chicken into 4 pieces of 8 pieces whatever you fancy.  ( Scott Rea YouTube )
• once cut into pieces, seal pieces in a frying pan to give them some colour, then place on chicken towel to let cool
• shred the chicken into long pieces, and place into pre heated oven 170 for 20 minutes
• in the mean time heat oil in a frying pan and cook the bacon until very crispy
• wash the spinach and rewash.
• place the bacon on towel so the fat drain off, the chicken should be done by now, if not place on for another 3 minutes.
• cut around the avocado and open, remove the stone & using a small spoon remove the avocado out of the shell by going around the edges,
• season the avocado and place the lemon juice on them to stop them browning,  add them to the spinach, chicken, bacon and carrots in a bowl and toss together
• serve all together in a nice little mountain piled up

another great simple recipe that doesn’t cost much & that packs a vital protein punch, we hope you’ve enjoyed reading as much as we enjoyed making it, as always from the hungry chef thanks for reading and a personal thank you for helping us too 1000 views from 41 different countries that’s so incredible, I’ve had some very positive feedback and countless emails of supports, can’t thank you guys enough, means so much.

until next time ( like & share)

the hungry chef