Recipe- Crunchy Chinese Chicken Salad Is What I Reach For

Presenting to you summer in a bowl – when the heat strikes, this Chinese chicken salad is what I reach for. Its vibrant, fresh and full of texture and flavor. The Asian dressing is super addictive and the crispy fried noodles really take this up a notch!

This is not a regular lettuce salad. In fact there is no lettuce. I highly recommend getting your hands on chinese cabbage if you can because it’s so crunchy but if you can’t, lettuce will work in the end.

Fair warning: there is some amount of chopping involved, but if you are not comfortable with that – use the shredder attachment in your food processor or buy pre-cut veggies from the supermarket. This salad is forgiving and definitely won’t mind adjusting.

Let’s talk about the crunchy fried noodles for a second. DO NOT leave them out. Trust me that you’ll be eating those by the fistful and they taste even better when tossed into this salad. You can make them at home with this recipe for fried noodles and store them in an airtight container for weeks. Or you can buy from the supermarket. But it’s definitely more fun making them at home and I make a big batch which we then use to top on soups on salads.

Ingredients

1 Bayleaf
1/2 inch Ginger
1-2 Star Anise
1/2 teaspoon Peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon Coriander Seeds
1 teaspoon Salt
2 Chicken Breasts
2 tablespoons Light Soy Sauce
3 tablespoons Rice Vinegar
1 tablespoon Toasted Sesame Oil
2 tablespoons Canola Oil
1 teaspoon Ginger grated
1 tablespoon Honey
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
1 Pinch Salt
3 cups Chinese Cabbage finely shredded
2 cups Carrots finely julienned
1/2 cup Cucumber remove the seeds and diced
2 cups Red Cabbage finely shredded
1/2 cup Celery finely chopped
1/2 cup Spring Onions finely chopped
1 to 1 1/2 cups Crunchy Fried Noodles

Method

* Add all the aromatics and chicken breasts to a pot of boiling water to poach the chicken.

* Once the water is simmering, turn off the flame and cover and let the chicken sit for 20-25 minutes till its cooked.

* Remove it from the poaching liquid and let it rest for 10 minutes before dicing or shredding it.

* Whisk all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and set aside for 15 minutes.

* Whisk again, just before adding it to the salad.

* In a large bowl, add all the veggies, chicken and the crunchy fried noodles.

* Pour the dressing and toss well. Serve immediately.