This dish is inspired by Spanish spiced meat skewers known as "Pinchos Morunos" and is served with a simplified Spanish "Pipirrana" salad. The salad flavours are reminiscent of Gazpacho soup and is very refreshing on a warm summer's day!
Rather than skewering the meat like you do with "Pinchos Morunos", today we will be using chicken breast and covering it with my smoky Spanish BBQ rub. With the salad made up of tomato, capsicum/bell pepper, cucumber and onion, this is a great low carb meal which comes together very quickly!
Spanish chicken & salad ingredients
- Chicken breast - we halve the breast and pound it out to reduce and even out its thickness so that it doesn't take too long to cook, and that it cooks evenly. If the tenderloins are attached, remove them.
- Smoky Spanish BBQ rub - the flavour maker for the recipe, this is a Spanish spice rub that's smoky and moreish made with spices like cumin, paprika, garlic and coriander. The recipe card includes enough for 4 people / 600g of chicken breast, but you can easily make a larger batch if you prefer.
For the salad:
- Ripe tomatoes
- Green capsicum/bell pepper
- Cucumber - not traditional in Pipirrana but it complements the other ingredients well and is very refreshing. You can leave it out if you prefer.
- Onion - red or white.
- Black olives are the traditional Spanish olive to use. Replace with kalamata or green if you prefer.
- Sherry or white wine vinegar
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt
Step-by-step guide to making Spanish chicken & salad
Dice salad ingredients into similar sizes - tomatoes, capsicum and cucumber. Finely dice the onion.
Make the spice rub by combining all ingredients and stirring well.
Make the salad by combining all the salad ingredients in a mixing bowl and stirring to combine.
Halve the chicken breasts - chicken breasts are often too thick to grill without burning. Place the chicken on a chopping board, press your hand flat on top, and carefully slice through the breast, angling the knife away from your hand.
Flatten the chicken – cover chicken with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Use a heavy pot, meat mallet, or rolling pin to flatten the chicken evenly.
Apply the spice rub by scattering it over the chicken and pressing it in with your hands.
Cook the chicken in a skillet over medium heat until golden and cooked through on both sides. Alternatively, grill or cook over charcoal for a more traditional flavour.
Serve the chicken with the salad on the side.
Tips
- Make a large batch of the spice rub by following my smoky Spanish BBQ rub recipe - it's perfect on pork and chicken, and works well with seafood and steamed vegetables.
- Cook the chicken over charcoal if you have a charcoal grill - this is traditional and imparts a fantastic flavour.
- The salad is known as "Pipirrana" and is a great low carb lunch option.
- Rest the chicken before serving for 4 or 5 minutes for the best result.
The importance of flattening your chicken
It's important to flatten your chicken breast out, for a few reasons:
- Even cooking - chicken breasts can vary in thickness, which can result in uneven cooking. Flattening them ensures that they cook evenly, reducing the risk of one part being overcooked while another remains undercooked. If using a thick breast, there is a good chance that the exterior will be burnt before the interior is completely cooked through.
- Faster cooking - flattened chicken breasts cook more quickly than whole, thick ones. This can be particularly beneficial when you're short on time or cooking for a large group.
- Increased Tenderness - pounding the chicken breast breaks down some of the muscle fibre, making the meat more tender.
How to flatten your chicken breast
To halve your chicken breast, place your hand on top of the breast and hold firmly. Use a sharp knife to slice through halfway between your chopping board and your hand, so that the chicken is cut into two. While slicing, keep an eye on the angle of your knife to make sure that the knife is not coming up towards your hand.
Place plastic wrap or baking/parchment paper over the top of the two halves flatten to an even thickness using a meat mallet, heavy pan, or something similar.
Make ahead and freezing
You can prepare the recipe a day or so ahead of time by preparing the chicken and salad and storing it in the fridge. I suggest not applying the spice rub until you're ready to cook because the salt will dry out the chicken breast.
The recipe is not suitable for freezing.
Spanish chicken and salad
| Prep | Cook | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 15 mins | 15 mins | 30 mins |
- 2 large chicken breasts, halved lengthways around 600-700g/1.3-1.5 lbs total
- 2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (optional)
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 tomatoes, diced ripe is best - see note 2
- 1 green capsicum/bell pepper, diced
- 1 Lebanese or Persian cucumber, diced optional; sub for 1/2 large cucumber
- 1/2 white onion, diced substitute for red onion if needed
- 1/4 cup pitted black olives sliced if you like, I prefer them whole
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- Salt to taste
- Make the spice rub by combining all ingredients and stirring well.
- Make the salad by combining all the salad ingredients in a mixing bowl and stirring to combine.
- Halve the chicken breasts - chicken breasts are often too thick to grill without burning. Place the chicken on a chopping board, press your hand flat on top, and carefully slice through the breast, angling the knife away from your hand.
- Flatten the chicken – cover chicken with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Use a heavy pot, meat mallet, or rolling pin to flatten the chicken evenly.
- Apply the spice rub by scattering it over the chicken and pressing it in with your hands.
- Cook the chicken in a skillet over medium heat until golden and cooked through on both sides. Alternatively, grill or cook over charcoal for a more traditional flavour.
- Serve the chicken with the salad on the side.
- Rub - the rub is taken from my pinchos morunos Spanish spice mix - you can read the post if you're interested. This is perfect for adding Spanish flair to your favourite grilled meat or sprinkled over steamed or baked vegetables, as a rice seasoning, etc.
- Tomato - when tomatoes are out of season, they can be tasteless. If this is the case, for best results substitute for a 300g/10oz container of cherry tomatoes and quarter them.
