Chinese Chicken Salad

Oriental or Chinese Chicken Salad is a dish I really like. I have tried many recipes at home and many prepared salads in restaurants. I am one of those cooks that really likes to experiment and I finally have a recipe that I like a lot. I was testing recipes for a summer luncheon I was preparing for 75 people and I wanted it to be all salads. I went to the oriental market and asked what type of chow mein noodles they had. I had seen the fake ones in sealed containers in the regular super market and they just didn't seem appealing. He want to the freezer and got out a bag of noodles that looked to be like angel hair pasta crumbles, maybe a little bigger. I was surprised and ask him how to prepare them and he said you fry them. So I did. And combined with the crunchy cabbage and lettuce salad it's a combination I am pleased with. I hope you'll try it. I think you can substitute angel hair pasta for the chow mein noodles and it would work just fine, if you crumble them up so they are in small pieces. Sometimes you can buy them like that. I have found that it really adds to the crunch of any Chinese Chicken Salad but I particularly like it with this version. He did another version on his cooking show with a lot more fat in it. I think this one's just fine without it or better with my addition.

Mainly from Bobby Flay's Grilling for Life but I can never leave well enough alone.



Red Chili Peanut Dressing

3 T soy sauce
3 T rice vinegar
1/4 cup chicken stock
3 T smooth peanut butter
1 T light brown sugar
1 T fresh ginger, grated
1 T chipotle puree
2 t sesame oil
1/4 t black pepper, ground

Chicken Salad

1/2 head cabbage
1/2 head romaine lettuce
2 medium carrots, shredded
1 cup snow peas, trimmed
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 8 ounces each
1 T canola oil
1 t kosher salt
1/2 tea freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c roasted peanuts, chopped
grilled lime wedges, for garnish.

2 cups chow mein noodles or shredded angel hair pasta.
3 T oil

Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.

Finely shred the cabbage and lettuce with a knife. Put in large bowl. Shred the carrots in the large wholes of a bix grater. Add to cabbage mixture. Add the snow peas, cilantro and green onions. Set aside.

Heat your grill to high. Season both sides of chicken breasts with oil, salt and pepper. Grill 4 minutes on each side until slightly charred and just cooked through. Remove from grill to a cutting board. Let rest 5 minutes before shredding.

Fry noodles in oil until crisp and starting to turn color but do not brown. Drain well.

Mix dressing in with cabbage mixture. Move to a large platter. Top with shredded chicken, chopped peanuts and noodles. Garnish with lime wedges.

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Cheers,
pookah