Roasted Chicken and Sweet Potato Spinach Salad
Golden roasted chicken breast and sweet potato over warm spinach, with feta and sun-dried tomatoes. A high-protein tray dinner that comes together in the oven.
- Total
- 59 min
- Prep 15 · Cook 39 · Rest 5
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Roasting · Resting meat
- Savory
- Oven
Instructions
-
Heat the oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
~10 min
-
Cut 400 g sweet potato into 2 cm cubes. Pat 2 chicken breasts dry and season both sides with half the salt and half the black pepper. Slice 40 g sun-dried tomatoes into thin strips.
~8 min
Cutting sweet potato into even 2 cm cubes ensures uniform roasting so pieces finish tender at the same time.
-
Toss the sweet potato cubes with 1 tbsp olive oil and spread them on the tray in a single layer. Roast for 15 minutes, until the edges start to brown.
~15 min
A single layer lets hot air circulate around each cube, so the sweet potato roasts and browns instead of steaming.
If the sweet potato cubes are larger than 2 cm, give them 5 extra minutes before adding the chicken so they finish tender at the same time.
Roasting Spread ingredients in a single layer with space between pieces so they brown rather than steam. Crowding the tray is the most common mistake.
-
Push the sweet potato to one side of the tray. Place the chicken breasts on the tray, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, and roast for 18 to 22 minutes, until the chicken reaches 74°C/165°F and the sweet potato is tender.
~22 min
Roasting chicken to 74°C/165°F ensures it is safely cooked while staying juicy, not dry.
Roasting Spread ingredients in a single layer with space between pieces so they brown rather than steam. Crowding the tray is the most common mistake.
-
While step 4 cooks
While the chicken roasts, put 150 g spinach in a large bowl and toss with the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil, the rest of the salt and the rest of the black pepper.
~3 min
Tossing raw spinach with oil and seasoning now lets the leaves soften slightly and absorb flavor before the warm ingredients arrive.
-
Slice the roasted chicken into 1 cm strips. Add the warm sweet potato, chicken and sun-dried tomatoes to the spinach bowl and toss gently so the leaves wilt slightly. Crumble 60 g feta over the top and serve.
~4 min
Resting the chicken 5 minutes before slicing lets juices redistribute so they stay in the meat instead of watering down the salad.
Let the chicken rest 5 minutes before slicing so the juices stay in the meat and the salad does not turn watery.
Resting meat Let roasted chicken rest 5 minutes before slicing so juices redistribute. Cutting immediately lets juices run out and dry the meat.