We are now halfway through the 14-day Kiwi Challenge, which means I’ve had at least 14 Kiwifruits so far! How do I feel? Well, apart from the fact that I’m slightly hungover today which really doesn’t help, I don’t feel a major difference yet probably because I already consume a lot of fruits and vegetables to start with. I do feel slightly less bloated though if anything, thanks to the dramatic increase in fibre intake. It’s like detoxing without making any effort. I’m positive that by the end of the 14 days challenge I will probably lose 1kg or 2. This also means that I’m now a convert.

Initially I was a little worried because for some peculiar reason, my hands get itchy from handling kiwi (especially the skin). I must have a slight allergy to the actinidin (imagining the enzyme starting to break down my flesh…. screammmmmm). After a few days I think even my hands have gotten used to the idea. Or perhaps I just have more awareness to wash my hands thoroughly immediately after handling the fruits. You won’t see me eating the skin anytime soon, even though it’s common practise in New Zealand.

Today’s recipe is a savoury one. I had a look at Zespri’s website and found a recipe for Roast Chicken Breast with Kiwi Salsa. Since I had pretty much everything I needed at home, that was the dish I made for lunch on Day 5. Of course, I changed it a little bit and added Cajun spices to my Chicken boob for more flavours (the original recipe only ask for Salt and Pepper on the meat… how boring!) and also threw in some lemon thyme last minute for the lovely aroma.

Other than chopping up the fruits and vegetables, only thing left to do is to pan sear the chicken then send it to the oven. Too easy!

Roasted Chicken Breast with Kiwi Salsa
Kiwi Salsa
2 Zespri® Green Kiwifruit, peeled and diced
Handful of Coriander, chopped
1/4 Red Capsicum, medium diced
1 tomatoes, diced
1 Serrano chili, diced (optional to remove seeds)
1 tablespoons Lemon Juice
Pinch of salt and pepper

Roasted Chicken Breast
1 chicken breasts, skin on
Pinch of salt and cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon Cajun Spice (I used one of those Masterfood bottle)
1 tablespoons olive oil
2 sprigs of thyme

Kiwi Salsa
Combine all the ingredients and refrigerate until needed (at least half an hour)

Roasted Chicken Breast
Season the Chicken at least an hour before cooking for maximum flavours.

Preheat the oven to 230C

Bring a deep skillet to heat on high, and then add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, place the chicken, skin side down, into the skillet. Sear the chicken until the skin has browned (2 to 3 minutes). Turn the chicken breast over and sear the other side for a minute, then turn back skin down, place 2 sprigs of thyme on top and put in the oven. Cook the chicken for about 20 minutes until just done. We don’t want dry boob!

Serve the chicken with a generous spoonful of the kiwi salsa strewn across the top of it. I placed the Chicken on top of some Arugula (Rocket leaves).

For such a simple dish, it sure carries a lot of flavours! I really liked the acidity and sweetness of the salsa. Goes really well with the usually bland Chicken breast (which was why I added the extra spice and let it marinate for an hour beforehand). The extra arugula also brought the slight bitterness and peppery note to balance out the dish. Delicious!

As for Day 7, I drank my Kiwis again!

Probably won’t be updating much tomorrow as I’m going to be stalking Gordon Ramsay in Singapore. So excited! Have a great weekend everyone.