Meat
Moderate evidenceChicken breast
31 g of protein and 3.6 g of fat per 100 g. Almost no everyday food beats it on protein per calorie.
Chicken breast and avocado salad
Fat from the avocado lifts lycopene absorption from the tomato. Protein and fat-soluble compounds meet on one plate.
2 servings25 min
Ingredients
- Chicken breast200 g
- Avocado1
- Cherry tomatoes10
- Lettuce4 leaves
- Olive oil1 tbsp
- Lemon juice1 tbsp
- Salt and pepperto taste
Method
Season the chicken with salt and pepper and leave for ten minutes.
Heat water until bubbles just begin to rise, lower the heat to hold 70–75°C, and poach the chicken for 15 minutes. A rolling boil contracts the protein and dries it out.
Lift it out, rest five minutes, then slice against the grain.
Halve and stone the avocado and dice it; halve the cherry tomatoes.
Tear the lettuce by hand into a bowl and arrange everything on top.
Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and pour over.
Cooking note
Do not skip the dressing. Lycopene from tomato and lutein from lettuce are fat-soluble and need fat to be absorbed; in trials using a fat-free dressing, carotenoid absorption was barely measurable. The avocado alone supplies plenty of fat, but the olive oil spreads it across the whole bowl.
