The Most Amazing Chicken Kale Salad

A pile of crispy seasoned chickpeas, juicy bursts of roasted tomatoes, tender strands of chicken and the most amazing creamy tahini dressing tossed with ribbons of kale. Introducing – Chicken Kale Salad. Now THIS is a kale salad I crave!

This is a fully loaded kale salad that was intentionally designed to be satisfying to have as a meal. It has great variety of textures and flavours – crunch and saltiness from chickpeas, (soft) chewiness of the kale leaves, fresh juiciness from the tomatoes, tender meaty bits of chicken all tossed with a rich, cream tahini dressing. It’s incredibly filling. And the high delicious factor goes without saying!

• 5 very tightly packed cups Tuscan kale (cavolo nero) , leafy part stripped off stem, sliced into 1 cm / 1/2" ribbons
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt and pepper

• 1/4 red onion , very finely sliced
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken , I use store bought (else poach your own)
• 2 soft boiled eggs , halved (optional)

• 1 1/2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp cooking salt/kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

• 400 g/ 14 oz can chickpeas , drained but not dried
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp EACH garlic powder , onion powder
• 1/4 tsp EACH cooking salt / kosher salt & black pepper

• 4 tbsp (60 g) tahini , hulled
• 2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup parmesan finely grated (pack the cup tight), plus extra for serving
• 1/2 tsp cooking salt/kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1 large garlic clove , peeled
• 4 tbsp water (plus more, if needed)