Donal Skehan’s rôtisserie chicken and za’atar flatbread salad

“This is what happens when a rôtisserie chicken crosses the road and gets hit by a fattoush salad,” says food writer and presenter Donal Skehan. “A proper plate of all my favourite Middle Eastern bits for dinner. Crispy flatbread croutons dusted with za’atar bring crunch and are matched with shaved colourful root veggies, fresh herbs and a labneh-ish sauce – this dish has it all. Fast, fresh and dangerously addictive – you’ve been warned!”

Rôtisserie chicken and za’atar flatbread salad

Ingredients:
(Serves 2)

2 shop-bought flatbreads
Olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1tbsp za’atar
2 small carrots
1 small candy-striped beetroot
1 small yellow beetroot
6 radishes
2 baby fennel bulbs
250g rôtisserie or leftover chicken
50g butter
A handful of coriander
A handful of mint
50g pine nuts

For the base:
300g Greek yoghurt
2tbsp tahini
1 garlic clove
Juice of 1 lemon

Method:

1. First whisk together the Greek yoghurt, tahini, grated garlic and the juice of ½ a lemon. Spread over the bottom of a platter and set aside.

2. Chop the flatbreads into rough 1cm-sized pieces and toss in a bowl with a good glug of olive oil, salt and the za’atar. Put into an air fryer at 190°C (375°F) to crisp up for 5 minutes.

3. Meanwhile thinly shave the carrots, beetroots, radishes and fennel into a large bowl – I like to use a mandoline here but you can use a knife if you prefer. Drizzle the vegetables with a good glug of olive oil and a hefty pinch of salt, toss to coat, then set aside.

4. Shred the meat from the chicken into bite-size pieces and place in a pan with 25g of the butter, a glug of olive oil and some salt and pepper. Place over a medium heat and cook until the chicken is warmed through and a little golden. Remove from the pan.

5. Roughly chop the coriander and mint while the chicken cooks.

6. Now put the pine nuts into the same frying pan. Add the remaining butter and a glug of olive oil, then toast until the pine nuts are golden. Remove the pan from the heat and stir through most of the chopped coriander and mint and squeeze in the juice of the remaining lemon half.

7. Add the crispy bread and shredded chicken to the shaved vegetables and toss everything together. Pile on top of the yoghurt and drizzle with the herby pine nut dressing, finishing everything with the remaining herbs and another glug of extra virgin olive oil.

Donal’s Real Time Recipes by Donal Skehan is published in hardback by Yellow Kite (Hodder & Stoughton), priced £25. Photography by Donal Skehan. Available October 9.