Chickpea Salad with Broccoli & Golden Milk Poached Chicken
Poaching chicken in turmeric-infused milk for this healthy salad recipe yields tender results with a golden hue. Bright yellow turmeric has been used for centuries in traditional Indian medicine. The early spice's potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound, curcumin, shows promise in fighting certain cancers, including breast, pancreatic, colorectal, lung and prostate. (See Tip to learn more about turmeric's health benefits.) Don't toss the cooking liquid: some of it goes into the salad dressing and you can use what remains to cook grains or as a soup base. Make sure to use whole milk and don't go beyond a bare simmer, otherwise it may curdle.
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground turmeric (see tip)
- 2 large cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt, divided
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
- 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
- 1 (5 ounce) package baby arugula
- 4 cups bite-size broccoli florets
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro