Crunchy Asian Chicken Salad
Crunchy cabbage and carrots with shredded chicken tossed through with fresh herbs and dressed with a fabulous Asian dressing infused with the flavours of Thailand. Delicious AND healthy!
I love the colours of this salad, it’s so bright and cheerful it makes me want to dive right into it. This is such a light, healthy salad with a wonderful Asian style dressing that is very versatile and a great staple to add to your salad repertoire.
It’s not an authentic recipe of any cuisine, but the flavours are reminiscent of Thai and Vietnamese salads. If you have reasonable chopping skills, and believe me, I am no Iron Chef in that department, this salad takes a mere 10 minutes to make.
Keeping the dressing separate, it will keep nice and crispy in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. I shredded poached chicken I made using what I call the Foolproof Poached Chicken method which is explained in the Foolproof Poached Chicken Chinese Noodle Soup I posted a few weeks ago.
You simply place chicken breast in a pot of boiled water, bring it back up to the boil, then take it off the stove for 20 to 25 minutes (depending on the size of the chicken breast you are using) and you will end up with the most perfectly cooked, moist chicken breast. It is impossible to overcook the chicken breast because the temperature of the boiled water drops to the point where there is not enough heat to continue cooking the chicken, even if you leave it well beyond the prescribed time (which I usually do). However, this recipe can be made using any cooked chicken – baked, grilled or store bought.
Who can resist the kaleidoscope of colours in this salad??
Ingredients
Salad
3 cups Chinese cabbage (or any white / green cabbage), shredded
3 cups red cabbage , shredded
2 large carrots , julienned
3 cups bean sprouts
3 scallions / shallots / green onions , finely sliced
2 cup shredded cooked chicken
1/4 cup (packed) coriander leaves
1/4 cup (packed) mint leaves
1/4 cup Asian Fried Shallots (optional), to garnish
Dressing
3 tbsp rice vinegar
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp fish sauce
2 tbsp lime juice
3 tbsp peanut oil (or canola, vegetable or grapeseed oil)
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 birds eye chilli , finely diced
2 garlic cloves , minced
Instructions
1. Combine the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well.
2. Combine the salad ingredients, except the Asian Fried Shallots.
3. Pour over dressing and toss to combine.
4. Garnish with Asian Fried Shallots.
Recipe Notes
1. Asian Fried Shallots are available in the Asian section of most major supermarkets. They are deep fried small pieces of shallots (scallions) that provide a wonderful flavour and texture addition to many dishes.
source:http://www.recipetineats.com