Chicken and Avocado Salad Bowl

Method

Season the chicken breast aggressively with salt and pepper on both sides — the seasoning won't penetrate much during cooking, so surface coverage matters. Heat a medium-high pan until a drop of water skitters across it, then lay the breast away from you to avoid splashing. Don't move it. After 5–6 minutes, the underside will be pale gold with a slight char; flip once and cook the other side for another 5–6 minutes. The thickest part should reach 75°C internal temperature, but rely on touch: press the centre of the breast with your finger — it should feel firm but still yield slightly, never rigid. This is carryover cooking territory; remove it from the pan while it's still faintly yielding because residual heat will push it the final degree without drying the meat out. Rest it for 3 minutes on a warm plate — this allows the muscle fibres to relax and reabsorb their expelled moisture, keeping the flesh tender when you slice it.

While the chicken rests, assemble the bowl. Arrange the salad leaves loosely — avoid pressing them down — then scatter the tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion over the leaves. Halve the avocado lengthwise, remove the stone, and slice each half into five or six pieces; lay them skin-side down and leave them in place rather than tossing them in, because the knife work is already done and rough handling bruises the flesh. Slice the chicken against the grain — look at which direction the muscle fibres run and cut perpendicular to them — into 1 cm strips. Lay these over the assembled vegetables.

Dress the bowl just before serving. Whisk the olive oil and lemon juice together with a pinch of salt; the emulsion won't hold long, so don't make this ahead. The acid in the lemon will begin to oxidise the avocado's cut surface, so timing matters here. Pour the dressing over the chicken and vegetables, then season with a final grind of black pepper.

For batch-cooking, grill 4 breasts on Sunday and cool them completely before slicing. Store the sliced chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 days — it dries out faster than a whole breast because the increased surface area exposes more moisture to the air. Keep the salad components separate and assemble each bowl fresh; the leaves will wilt within hours if dressed, and the avocado will brown. This approach makes the salad a genuine portable-protein option: grab the container, assemble, and eat within five minutes.