Email to Cat      

Chinese Chicken Salad

Source of Recipe

From "The New Essentials Cookbook" by America's Test Kitchen


Recipe Introduction

"Although you may be enamored with your takeout and restaurant favorites, homemade versions are often worlds better (not to mention more healthful). With its juicy oranges, tender chicken, and crunchy topping, Chinese chicken salad has the perfect balance of flavors and textures. But many versions lose their way with gloppy sauces, lackluster chicken, sugary canned orange segments, and watery greens. To recast this salad in a new light, we turned to fresh ingredients. We cut out fresh orange segments to top our salad and used the juice as the basis for a bright dressing, which we also used as a simmering liquid for the chicken breast. For the salad's base, we chose napa cabbage, red bell peppers, cilantro, and scallions. Crunchy roasted peanuts were the perfect finishing touch."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 3 oranges
â—¦ â…“ cup rice vinegar
â—¦ 3 tablespoons soy sauce
â—¦ 3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
â—¦ 1 tablespoon Asian chili-garlic sauce
â—¦ 1 tablespoon honey
â—¦ 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
â—¦ 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
â—¦ 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed
â—¦ 1 small head napa cabbage (1 ½ pounds), cored and sliced thin
â—¦ 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 2-inch-long matchsticks
â—¦ 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
â—¦ 6 scallions, sliced thin
â—¦ ½ cup salted dry-roasted peanuts, chopped


Recipe

Cut away peel and pith from oranges. Holding fruit over large bowl, use paring knife to slice between membranes to release segments; transfer segments to second bowl and set aside. Squeeze juice from membrane into first bowl (juice should measure 6 tablespoons).

Whisk vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, chili-garlic sauce, and honey into orange juice in large bowl; transfer ½ cup orange juice mixture to 12-inch skillet and set aside. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle vegetable oil and sesame oil into remaining orange mixture in bowl; set aside.

Bring orange juice mixture in skillet to boil over medium-high heat. Add chicken, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, flipping halfway through cooking, until meat registers 160 degrees, 10 to 15 minutes.

Transfer chicken to plate and let cool slightly.
Using two forks, shred chicken into bite-size pieces. Off heat, return shredded chicken and any accumulated juices to skillet and let sit for 10 minutes.

Add cabbage, bell peppers, cilantro, and scallions to vinaigrette in bowl and toss to combine. Transfer to serving platter and top with shredded chicken, orange segments, and peanuts. Serve.

Serves 6