Chinese Chicken Salad
And this one doesn't get wilted and gross after 5 minutes
One of the reasons I love this salad so much is it’s use of cabbage. I feel like cabbage is under-appreciated. It’s unjust. Cabbage is phenomenal and, in some cases, far superior to it’s other leafy counterparts.
Chinese Chicken Salad
And this one doesn't get wilted and gross after 5 minutes
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Servings: 4-6
Ingredients:
Salad
Napa Cabbage (½)
Red Cabbage (¼)
Green Onion (6 stalks)
Carrot (2 large)
Persian Cucumber (4)
Chicken (2 breasts)
Wonton Crisps (to taste)
Sesame Seeds (to taste)
Dressing
Sesame Oil (3 tbsp)
Rice Vinegar (2 tbsp)
Soy Sauce (¼ cup)
Cane Sugar (¼ cup)
Neutral Oil (¼ cup)
Ginger (1 inch knob)
Garlic (2 cloves)
Lemon Juice (½ lemon)
Salt (to taste)
Preparation:
Prep the Vegetables
Start by cutting your Napa cabbage into strips no thicker than your pinky. (You don't have to use Napa cabbage, you can use it a variety of lettuce if you want, but I think cabbage has a better texture for this recipe)
Then add that cabbage to a salad spinner or a colander and give it a very good rinse. You've already made the decision to eat a salad instead of something like fried chicken or Chinese takeout, so let's not add insult to injury.
Once it's rinsed make sure you thoroughly dry it, and then add it to a very large mixing bowl.
Now take your red cabbage and slice it to about half as thin as your Napa cabbage was. Again you want to thoroughly rinse and dry before adding to your bowl.
Next for your green onions, I feel like at this point I shouldn't have to say rinse and dry, so from now on just assume any vegetable you use you should be rinsed and dried. Slice it on a slight bias, and then add it to your bowl.
Last up for a produce is your Persian cucumbers. Slice those down the center lengthwise and then use a small spoon to hollow out the seeds and the wetness. (You don't have to do this, but you'll end up with a better texture). Then thinly slice each half about the same thickness as your red cabbage.
Add that to the bowl.
Add the Chicken
Now take your precooked rotisserie chicken, or a couple cans of cooked chicken, or just a couple of leftover chicken breasts from a meal you had earlier this week (it really doesn't matter), and shred it with a fork.
Make sure you break it up a good amount so you don't end up with overwhelming bites of chicken with a singular piece of loose cabbage.
Make the Dressing
Now for your sauce, in a blender or blender cup, combine your sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, cane sugar, neutral oil, peeled ginger, garlic, lemon juice, and salt. ( I know, it's a lot).
Then just blend this until you end up with a silky smooth dressing.
Dress the Salad
Now for assembly, you have two options: you can pre-dress or let people dress themselves.
If you're planning on eating it within the next 15-20 minutes, you can pre-dress, any longer than that and you might want to wait until right before you eat.
Let's pretend that time is now. Pour about half of your dressing onto your salad, and you can either cover with a lid or another bowl, and shake it aggressively until it's all nicely mixed. (You could just toss the salad with a few spoons, but where's the fun in that?)
Serve & Garnish
Now when you serve, sprinkle on some sesame seeds, wonton crisps, and of course more dressing.