Asian Chicken Salad

May 6, 2016 Ceri

I just want to come right out and say how finky I feel calling this salad Asian. There’s no reason to believe this recipe originated anywhere other than a North American lunch counter. And on that menu it would typically be called a Chinese Chicken Salad but I just cannot. Sure, there are some Asian flavours in the dressing but this is as pure Americana as Chicken Pot Pie. And I just can’t think of what else to call it so you’ll know what it really is. Which is one of my all-time favourite meals: a crunchy, fresh salad that’s satisfying enough to serve for dinner. Feel free to pump up the nostalgia (and inauthentic) factor by topping this with those crunchy lo mein noodles. You can also speed up dinner prep by using a rotisserie chicken instead of poaching your own chicken breasts.

photo by Maya Visnyei

Asian Chicken Salad

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts
1/4 - 1/2 head of purple cabbage, thinly sliced
1/4 - 1/2 head of green cabbage, thinly sliced
2 carrots, shredded
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, peeled and sliced
2 spring onions, sliced
handful cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup peanuts, chopped (optional)
Dressing
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sriracha
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar

Method

Fill a skillet with water and season the water with salt and pepper and bring it to a simmer. Place the chicken breasts in the water and cook them for 10 to 12 minutes, depending on how thick the breasts are. Remove the meat from the skillet and place on a clean plate. Use two forks to shred the chicken.

In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.

In a large serving bowl, toss together the vegetables and chicken. Drizzle dressing over the salad and toss again.

Serve the salad in bowls and garnish with cilantro and chopped peanuts.

Sweet Potato Chronicles