This is my current speedy weeknight favourite, and hits so many of my wishlist requirements. The flavours are intense – salty, sweet, a little spicy (I love to finish it with a crispy chilli oil), with the freshness of a shredded slaw. It’s punchy, quick and nutritious. And, as much as I love it just as it is, this would also make an excellent butty: pop the sliced panko-coated chicken in a brioche bun and pile the salad on top. Delicious.

Panko chicken with green bean and cabbage salad with miso dressing

Prep 10 min
Cook 35 min
Serves 4

200g extra-fine green beans, trimmed
4cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 small garlic clove, peeled and finely grated
25g white miso
1 tbsp maple syrup
½ tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp groundnut oil, plus extra for frying
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 lime
Sea salt and ground black pepper
500g chinese leaf or white cabbage, trimmed and finely shredded
150g cherry tomatoes, halved
4 chicken breasts (about 160g each)
60g plain flour
2 large eggs
90g panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil, then drop in the green beans and cook for about five minutes, until just tender. Drain, then plunge into a bowl of cold water.

In a large salad bowl, whisk the ginger, garlic, white miso and a tablespoon of boiling water until smooth, then stir in the maple syrup, sesame oil, groundnut oil and soy sauce. Squeeze in the juice of the lime, whisk and season generously. Stir in the cabbage and tomatoes, then drain the beans, pat them dry with kitchen paper, and add those, too. Toss everything and set aside.

Put the chicken breasts between two sheets of greaseproof paper and give them a good whack with a frying pan, pestle or rolling pin, until evenly flattened out. Tip the flour on to a plate and season well. Whisk the eggs in a wide, shallow bowl. On a final plate, season the panko breadcrumbs.

Dip one flattened chicken breast into the flour, until completely coated, then in the egg (let any excess run back into the bowl), then finally in the breadcrumbs, until completely covered. Repeat with the remaining breasts.

Put a large frying pan on a medium heat and pour in enough groundnut oil to fill by 2cm. Fry the chicken breasts for six to eight minutes on each side, until golden all over and cooked through, then transfer to a kitchen paper-lined plate for a minute to rest.

Toss most of the sesame seeds through the salad mix and divide between four plates. Slice each chicken breast into strips and lay alongside the salad. Drizzle over any dressing left in the bowl, sprinkle with the remaining sesame seeds and serve.