Why hello low carb lovers! Check out this warm sweet chilli chicken, Haloumi and avocado salad with lime dressing from a small piece of cheesy paradise.
I absolutely love loading my salads. If I ever had to go on a low carb type of diet, (which I don’t think I’d survive), I would definitely pick bowls that look like this to eat.
Especially if it has to be a meal of some sort. I cannot…I repeat cannot live on rabbit salads of lonely lettuce leaves and grated carrot. Maybe as a side dish yes! But as a meal alone? Ohhh….no way in this lifetime. And believe me, I’ve tried. But I much prefer salads that will leave both my taste buds and tummy satisfied, like the Southwestern Chicken Salad or even the Grilled Cajun Chicken Salad.
And this salad as a meal stops your stomach from growling like an angry starving lion and instead feeds you and nourishes you with all the good stuff you need to keep from attacking someone out of a pure, savage ‘hangry’ rage.
My first attempt at cooking Haloumi came after trying Haloumi for the first time at a Greek restaurant. I never looked back. Absolutely no regrets and no shame stuffing my face with roughly 2 plates full of Haloumi. Or 3. I may have lost count.
So now, my favourite sound at the moment is Haloumi frying off in a pan. It takes every ounce of willpower to not touch the steaming hot cheese in the pan. So crisp and golden, you just want to swipe it out of the hot pan and eat it without waiting for it to cool off. Because who has time to wait around?
Anyway, a few months ago I experimented a little, and came up with a salad that knocked my socks off. A full-on-crazy-salad moment with pan-fried capsicums/bell peppers and red onions, and so much flavour going on I cried from joy. Joy that I loaded my salad with Haloumi and other good stuff, and joy that I was full after having a salad. See? I can be healthy. I could live off banana blondies and cocoa brownies, but after creating that salad, I knew I had to do it again.
Marinading the chicken in a sweet chilli sauce took this salad to a whole other level through the roof, burning the roof, and dancing on top of the roof until there was no more roof. The combination is crazy.
And after cooking up those Sweet Chilli and Sour Cream Chicken Burgers last week, we were craving sum-more!
Sweet and tender chicken pieces, only mildly spicy, with the creamy avocado that kinda puts the fire out like a natural extinguisher, which then marries those juicy grape tomatoes that have their own sweetness, and the tang of lime juice so subtle it’s perfect. And then…that golden melt-in-your-mouth-cheese. I don’t know which is the star of this salad. The chicken? Or the cheese? Summer nights. Cool drinks. Warm salads. Like the best combination, ever.
More Satisfying Salads:
Cilantro Lime Chicken Salad with Avocado Salsa
Mediterranean Avocado Salmon Salad
Chicken, Haloumi and Avocado Salad with Lime Dressing
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 1 lbs chicken breast or chicken tenderloins sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced (or 2 teaspoons minced garlic)
- 2 teaspoons vegetable stock powder
- ¼ cup sweet chilli sauce (sugar free is fine)
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- salt to season
Salad
- 1.8 oz packet organic Haloumi cheese (salt reduced), cut into strips
- 1 punnet grape or cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 bunches baby cos lettuce washed and shredded
- 1 avocado sliced
Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons garlic olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- ½ tablespoon brown sugar
- salt to season
- Lime wedges (to serve)
Instructions
- Whisk all chicken marinade ingredients together in a bowl until combined. Add chicken and set aside for 1-2 hours in the refrigerator (or over night for extra flavour). Alternatively, cook without marinading.
- In a large frying pan/skillet, fry the marinaded chicken until browned and cooked through. Set aside and keep warm. In a separate smaller pan, fry the haloumi cheese until golden on both sides (about 1 - 2 minutes each side). While cheese is cooking, combine salad dressing ingredients in a small bowl or jug until combined. Serve chicken and Haloumi over prepared salad leaves, tomatoes and avocado slices, and drizzle with the salad dressing.
Kirsten says
This is a great salad. Filling and delicious. I added cucumber for extra veges.
Jas says
Just wanted to say that this salad is completely underrated, it was the first thing I ever made from this page and is still one of my favourites.
Only thing I sometimes add is a bit of cucumber for more crunch, though this absolutely not necessary.
So good, I normally make the recipe with the above quantities and take it to work the next few days (reheating the chicken and halloumi) can’t recommend this enough.
Angelique says
This salad was an absolute delight. Added some peacun nuts for crunchy texture. Love, love, love!!!!
Francesca says
Loved this, made it for my whole family and it’s one of their favourite meals now!
pastapieandpirouettes says
Great salad! I love the combination of the chicken, avocado and halloumi. Going to make this soon!
Karina says
Yay! I hope you enjoy it! Thank you for stopping by! X