Asian Chicken Salad with Lemon Peanut Ginger Dressing

Loaded with chicken plus a handful of garden goodness all tossed in a tangy and nutty citrus dressing - it’s a tantalizing mix of color and flavor!

Cook Time 8

Course Dinner, Lunch

Servings 4 to 6 servings

Equipment

Blender
medium saucepan
Small skillet

Ingredients

For the Lemon Peanut Ginger Dressing:
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
6 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
1 teaspoon lemon zest, about 1 lemon
2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 lemon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1-½ tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
½ teaspoon chopped garlic
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
4 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon Thai ginger salt*
For the salad:
4 cups poached or roasted chicken breast
1 head Napa cabbage, chopped, about 4 to 6 cups
6 scallions, sliced thin
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
2 cups blanched snow peas
4 tablespoons toasted slivered almonds
6 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
2 packages Raman noodles, uncooked and broken into smaller pieces

Instructions

To make the salad dressing:
Pour the olive oil along with the sesame oil into a blender.Pour in the rice vinegar, the sriracha sauce, and the lemon juice along with the zest.
Add the ground ginger, fresh ginger, and garlic along with the peanut butter, sugar, black pepper, kosher salt, and ginger salt.
Process starting on low for about 10 seconds then on medium-high until blended, about 20 to 30 seconds.
To assemble the salad:
In a large bowl or platter combine the chicken along with the cabbage, scallions, bell pepper, snow peas, slivered almonds, sesame seeds, and Raman noodles. Top with about 1 cup of the Lemon Peanut Ginger Dressing. Toss to coat well.

Notes

Some notes:

We love using Napa cabbage for this salad. It's a bit sweeter and more tender than green or red cabbage and holds up well once dressed, delivering plenty of crunch.

To blanch the snow peas, drop them in a medium saucepan of boiling water for 1 minute then cool in a bowl of ice water.

To toast sesame seeds, place them in a skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently until golden in color – about 8 minutes.

*Thai ginger salt can be found in specialty food markets and online. If you can’t locate it just use 1 teaspoon kosher salt.

You'll have about 1-¾ cups of dressing. Start with about 1 cup of dressing on the salad, adding more if desired.

To make quick work of this salad, grab a roasted chicken from the market.