I wish I had a snappier, more exciting title for this dish because it is SO good. Beautiful roasted carrots and cauliflowers, tender grilled chicken and zingy, bright salsa verde. It’s honestly SO good. This is one of those dishes that I threw together and fell in love with. I cooked it three times in one week I loved it that much. If you want to keep it vegetarian, you could swap the chicken out for some grilled halloumi, or maybe even some chickpeas or cannellini beans.

I got all of my vegetables for this recipe from Roots and Fruits and the quality is always brilliant. Let me know if you decide to make it – comment below and be sure to tag me in your photos  @theglasgowdiet on Instagram!

Roast Root Vegetables with Chicken and Salsa Verde

Ingredients (serves two, generously)
2-3 chicken breasts
Juice of 1 lemon
1 clove crushed garlic
3-4 tbsp olive oil
Large bunch baby carrots (ideally rainbow)
1 Romanesco cauliflower (or regular cauli)
Salt & pepper
Pine nuts, to serve.

For the salsa verde:
60g flat leaf parsley
Small bunch fresh basil
2-3 sprigs mint, leaves picked
1.5 tbsp capers
Juice of half a lemon
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
75ml EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
2 cloves garlic
Salt, to taste

Method
1. Preheat your oven to 180c fan. Slash the chicken breasts a few times with a sharp knife (this helps the marinade soak in quicker). Place in a dish with the juice of one lemon, 1 tbsp of olive oil, the crushed garlic and some salt and pepper. Cover and set aside.
2. Wash your carrots and place them on a baking tray. Break the cauliflower into florets and place on a separate baking tray. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the vegetables and sprinkle over some salt and pepper. Toss to make sure the vegetables are evenly coated in the oil. Roast the vegetables in the oven for 20-25 minutes until tender and beginning to brown.
3. While they roast, make the salsa verde by simply placing all the ingredients into a food processor or blender and blitz. Give it a taste – it should be zingy, fresh and acidic. You can add salt to taste. Place in a bowl and set aside.
4. Now, place a large, non-stick pan over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 5-10 minutes per side until browned and cooked through. Set aside on a warm plate to rest while the veggies finish roasting.
5. Finally, in the same pan you cooked the chicken, toast a small handful of pine nuts until golden. Arrange the roast veggies on a serving plate, shred the cooked chicken and add it to the plate, then drizzle over spoonfuls of the salsa verde (you’ll have more than you need, but it will keep for a week in the fridge in an airtight container). Scatter over the pine nuts, serve and enjoy!