Ginger Sesame Chicken Salad

The dressing is divine.  Next time I will probably 1-1/2 it. I seriously wanted to drink it.  And I think I would add edamame to the salad.

 Grilled Ginger-Sesame Chicken Salad

Ingredients: 

Marinade and dressing -

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and shredded
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp sweet chili sauce
• 2 large chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions (white and green parts)

Salad - 

• 1 Napa cabbage, very thinly sliced
• 2 carrots, grated 
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced and cut on the diagonal
• 1/2 cup almonds, toasted in coconut oil
• 1 tsp white sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 tsp black sesame seeds, toasted.
• 1/2 head of lettuce (I used red leaf) 
• 1/2 red pepper 
• 1/2 yellow pepper
• 3/4 c or so of shredded red cabbage

Method:

Marinade.   Whisk together the soy sauce, ginger, canola oil, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, sweet chili sauce , and salt to make the marinade.  Put the two chicken breasts in a gallon sized zip-top bag and add 3  - 4 Tbsp of the marinade to the chicken.  Note** - You are going to reserve the rest of the sauce that we just made (the part that is still in the mixing bowl).  It will become the dressing later, and it should never touch the raw chicken.  Squeeze the air out of the bag so that the marinade comes into contact with the meat.  With a meat pounder (or heavy pan, or empty bottle), pound the breasts to a uniform thickness.  This will allow them to cook more evenly and also help tenderize the meat.  Allow the flattened chicken breasts to marinade 30 min to a couple hours.

Dressing.   To the reserved marinade, add in the 1/4 cup each of red wine vinegar and sliced green onions.  Now we have the dressing.

Grill the chicken.  To a hot grill pan (yes, an outdoor grill or 'regular' pan is fine), add the marinated chicken breasts.  cook them about 4 minutes per side or until there is no signs of pink and juices run clear when pierced with a small, sharp knife.  Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and allow them to rest 15 minutes.  Please don't cut them right away... all the juices will run out leaving you with dry meat!  After the 15 minutes, you will cut them crosswise into 1/4" inch thick slices.

Salad.  In a large bowl, add the cabbage, lettuce, carrots, green onions, cilantro, half of the sesame seeds, and half of the almonds.  Add the chicken and mix together.  Add just enough of the dressing to coat the salad lightly and toss together.

Serve.   Distribute salad to 4 - 6 plates.  Re-whisk the dressing and drizzle a little over each salad.  Garnish with the remaining almonds and sesame seeds on each salad. 


I found this recipe here