Name: Chicken Breast with Green Noodle Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 4 pcs chicken breast; 0.5 tsp salt; 0.25 tsp ground pepper; 1 tbsp margarine; 2 pcs green zucchini; 2 pcs carrot; 30 g caper; 0.5 pcs lemon juice; 2 tbsp olive oil; 0.5 bunch fresh basil

UntrainedChef

Tips from the kitchen

Chicken breasts cook unevenly if they're thick at one end. Pound them to a flatter shape before seasoning, or butterfly the fat ones, so they finish at the same time.
Don't lift the lid every minute during the 6 to 8 minute finish. The trapped steam is doing the work. Cut into the thickest part to check it's no longer pink before plating.
Salt the zucchini noodles lightly and let them sit in a colander for 10 minutes, then pat dry. They throw off a lot of water and your dressing won't get watery.
Toss the noodles with the lemon, oil, and capers right before serving. If they sit too long in the dressing they go soft and limp.
Add the basil last and tear it by hand rather than chopping with a knife. It keeps the leaves from bruising and going dark.

Ways to vary it

Swap the chicken breast for thin pork escalopes if that's what you have. Same pan, same timing roughly, just keep an eye on thinner cuts.
A handful of toasted pine nuts or sunflower seeds scattered over the noodles adds some crunch, if you like a bit of texture.
For a sharper dressing you can add a little grated lemon zest along with the juice. Optional, but it brightens the basil.

Storage & leftovers

The noodle salad keeps about a day in the fridge but loses its crunch fast, so it's best eaten fresh. The chicken holds for 3 days in a sealed container. Reheat the chicken gently in a covered pan with a splash of water so it doesn't dry out, and serve the noodles cold rather than warming them up.