Amber Black's Chicken Salad with Toasted Almonds and Avacado Dressing

Wizard dishes to conjure up using avocado, the year-round green goddess of nutrition, magic on its own or in our velvety variations

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   1. In a shallow pan, simmer the chicken breasts in the stock for 8-10 minutes or until cooked and tender, turning halfway through. Set aside the chicken and keep warm. Reserve the stock for the dressing.
   2. Meanwhile, for the dressing, peel and chop the shallot and garlic and roughly chop the herbs. Place these in a food processor with 4 tbsp of the stock and whiz to a purée.
   3. Add the chopped flesh of the avocado and the ground almonds and whiz until smooth. Continue gradually adding stock (about 250ml) until you have a light sauce consistency. Transfer to a small pan, season, add a dash of Tabasco and heat through gently without letting it boil.
   4. To serve, peel, stone and slice the avocados and slice the chicken breasts. Arrange these with the salad leaves, scatter over some toasted almonds and offer the warm dressing to spoon over.