Chicken and Bean Sprout Salad: Post Workout Energy Provider
Image Credit: eatsmarter.com

After workout, Chicken and Bean Sprout Salad, is one the best energy and important nutrient provider, especially, for a protein rich breakfast. The good proteins are imparted through chicken and mung beans, along with the healthy vegetables, which also provide good taste. Use of seasonings and lemon juice enhance the overall flavour. Salads are anyway the easiest way to gain more nutrients as they are easy to prepare. This is fulfilling and suitable for taste buds. Comes in a variety, that is, healthy ingredients of our choice may be adjusted to provide satiety as well as right nutrients.

Origin

Sprouting is a common natural practice of germinating seeds to release shoots. Germinated seeds are often used to prepare salads as the nutritional value goes up after germination. This is a common practice in Eastern Asian cuisine. A number of salads are used using all kinds of beans except for kidney beans. The mostly used sprouted bean is the mung bean. Ingredients used in salad such as onion, cucumber, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes and even chicken can be added to make a tasteful sprouted salad.

Ingredients

  • 300 gram or 14 oz chicken breasts
  • 4 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
  • 100 gram or 1 ¾ oz mung bean sprouts
  • 150 gram or 5 oz lettuce (bite-sized)
  • 250 gram or 9 oz cherry tomatoes (cut into 4)
  • 1 cup almonds (sliced and dry roasted)
  • 1 red chili pepper (chopped)
  • 2 tablespoon lemon juice

Preparation of Chicken and Bean Sprout Salad

Prepare Mung bean sprouts a day before. By next morning, sprouted beans could be used by combining with chicken and other ingredients.

Making Bean Sprouts

  1. One day before, preferably at night, Clean and rinse required mung bean sprouts
  2. Soak the beans in a bowl. Add water up to three to four inches above the level of bean for proper soaking 
  3. Cover the bowl with the lid
  4. Allow this soaking for the night at room temperature
  5. Next day morning, drain excess water from the swollen beans 
  6. Clean the beans one more time to avoid contamination
  7. Soak the beans again into a new bowl
  8. Cover the beans with a moist muslin cloth and cover the bowl with a non-tight lid
  9. After at least six to eight hours, sprouting would have begun
  10. Bean sprouts are ready to use by evening

Cutting and Chopping for Salad

  1. Chicken: Cut long strips
  2. Lettuce: Cut or tear them so that there are bite size pieces to be added
  3. Cherry Tomatoes: Cut into quarters or 4 small pieces
  4. Almonds: Slice them and slightly roast them
  5. Red Chilli Pepper: Finely chop the red chilli pepper

Making Chicken and Bean Sprout Salad

  1. Seasoning of chicken is the first step. In a pan, add three tablespoon olive oil and fry chicken using salt and ground black pepper. Fry till golden brown
  2. Now, apply soy sauce over the chicken
  3. In a bowl, add the vegetables: lettuce, chilli, tomatoes, and roasted almonds
  4. At last, add prepared bean sprouts
  5. Toss the vegetables and sprouts
  6. Now, add chicken, rest of the olive oil, and lemon juice
  7. For taste, add salt and black pepper
  8. Serve by optionally garnishing with coriander leaves
  9. The salad can be kept in fridge without adding salt and pepper to avoid losing water in the prepared salad

Chicken and Bean Sprout Salad after-workout is a great dish to retain the spent energy and gain the important nutrients for proper body growth required. For children of growing age as well, this is a good snack for daily use.