A Chicken Salad to End All Chicken Salads
As a kid, my mother would make a fabulous “Chinese” chicken salad, who’s recipe was likely taken from a Sunset Magazine (her favorite). This one somewhat gleans from that taste memory, but with a little more spice and acid, plus a use of a variety of root veggies and a garnish of sesame seeds and crushed peanuts.
It may look like a lot of ingredients, but trust me on the double dressing - it’s worth it!
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
Root Vegetable Dressing:
¼ cup light brown sugar
5 tbsp fish sauce
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large serrano pepper, minced
½ cup lime juice
3 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
Chicken Dressing:
1 tbsp + 1 tsp fish sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
6 tbsp tahini
1/2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp Crushed red pepper flakes
¼ cup lemon juice
3 tbsp sesame seeds + more for garnish
Salad:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3 tbsp kosher salt
1 hot house cucumber, skin on, sliced into chunky matchsticks about 3” long
2 scallions, sliced into ¼” wide pieces
1 daikon, coarsely grated
1 large carrot, coarsely grated
3-4 sunchokes (optional), coarsely grated
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves and stems, torn
1 cup basil, torn
1 heart of romaine, torn into pieces
3-4 cups of baby kale
1 cup roasted, salted peanuts, crushed
Directions
1. Place chicken breasts in a medium saucepan and submerge in water with the 3 tbsp kosher salt. Bring to a simmer on medium heat. Once simmered, reduce heat but keep on low until the chicken is fully cooked and no longer pink in the center. This should take roughly 15-20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, make the root vegetable dressing by combining the light brown sugar, fish sauce, garlic, serrano pepper, lime juice and rice vinegar. Stir until sugar is mostly dissolved.
3. Pat dry the grated daikon, sunchokes and carrots, or place in a salad spinner with a paper towel lining the colander and spin. This ensures a less “soggy” salad. Place the root vegetables in the dressing, mixing well.
4. Once chicken is poached, drain and set on plate to cool slightly. Once cooled, shred chicken into pieces. Set aside.
5. In a smaller bowl, create the chicken dressing. Combine sesame seeds, tahini, lemon juice, soy sauce, honey, fish sauce, and red pepper flakes, and whisk together. Add 1/2 cup water and stir until well mixed. (The consistency will be on the thinner side, but should still be thick enough to coat the lettuce.)
6. Stir in half of the dressing into the shredded chicken and mix, ensuring all pieces are coated. Reserve the rest of the dressing for the salad greens & root vegetables.
7. Add crushed peanuts, cucumbers, cilantro, basil, romaine and kale to root vegetable mixture and its dressing. Add in reserved chicken dressing, and toss to combine, also ensuring leaves are well-coated. Add dressed chicken into mixture, toss again.
8. Serve salad topped with more crushed peanuts and sprinkled sesame seeds.