Barefoot Bloggers Challenge - Chinese Chicken Salad

Barefoot Bloggers challenge - Chinese Chicken Salad

Our first recipe for the month of April was chosen by McKenzie of Kenzie’s Kitchen. The chosen recipe was Ina Garten's Chinese Chicken Salad.

I did not use the bone-in skin-on chicken breast. I used boneless chicken breast for two reasons, 1 - I had already done my grocery shopping when I decided to join the group and 2 - I had extra boneless chicken thawed already (extra large pack). I cooked the chicken the same as in the recipe and chopped into chunks. The same goes for the red peppers. I had orange and yellow on hand but no red.

I have never had a Peanut Salad Dressing before. I thought the salad was delicious and rich in flavor. I loved the nuttiness from the sesame seeds and the peanut butter, although I did question the peanut butter. I thought the dressing would be overkill if i poured it all over the chicken and veggies so I decided to drizzle it onto the salad after plating.

I decided to serve the chicken salad in Romaine lettuce leaf "boats."

Chinese Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

4 split chicken breasts (bone-in, skin-on)

Good olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 pound asparagus, ends removed, and cut in thirds diagonally

1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded

2 scallions (white and green parts), sliced diagonally

1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, toasted

For the dressing:

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup good apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons dark sesame oil

1/2 tablespoon honey

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon peeled, grated fresh ginger

1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub with the skin with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and shred the chicken in large bite-sized pieces.

Blanch the asparagus in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes until crisp-tender. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain. Cut the peppers in strips about the size of the asparagus pieces. Combine the cut chicken, asparagus, and peppers in a large bowl.

Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the chicken and vegetables.

Add the scallions and sesame seeds and season to taste. Serve cold or at room temperature.