Chinese Chicken Salad with Red Chile Peanut Dressing
I set out to find a new salad the whole family would love and I found it with Bobby Flay's Chinese Chicken Salad. You can really put in anything you like and it will be a hit. I doubled the recipe so we can eat from it all week long and my son can take it to work, I also added some red cabbage for color. I think it would also be great if you added mandarin orange segments. If you plan to eat it all week, just leave out the dressing and peanuts until serving. I also added the chicken with every bowl, so my lettuce wouldn't get soggy. You can really use any leftover cooked chicken that you have, but if you have a Costco membership, they sell a vacuum packed bag of rotisserie breast meat that is to die for. I buy this a lot and use it for many recipes calling for cooked chicken. I hope you give this one a try.
Ingredients
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. smooth peanut butter
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh ginger
2 tsp. chipotle pepper puree (I used 1 medium chipotle pepper in adobe sauce)
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. honey
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup canola oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 head Napa cabbage, shredded
1 head romaine lettuce, shredded
2 carrots, shredded
1/2 head red cabbage, shredded
1/4 pound snow peas, julienned
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
2 cups shredded (or sliced) rotisserie chicken
1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (optional)
Chili oil, optional (I did not use)
Method
In the jar of a blender place the vinegar, peanut butter, ginger, chipotle, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil and canola oil. Blend until completely combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. In a large bowl, combine the cabbages, lettuce, carrots, snow peas, cilantro and green onion. Add the dressing and toss to combine. Top with the chicken, chopped peanuts and mint. Drizzle with chili oil, if desired. Enjoy!
