Grilled Ginger-Sesame Chicken Salad

I found this recipe from celebrity chef Curtis Stone in one of my magazines, pulled it out, and knew I had to make it.  I am SO happy that I did!  The salad was easy to make, FULL of HUGE flavors, and very little fat.  The dressing that doubles as the marinade for the grilled chicken, gives us salty soy, sweet hoisin, spicy sriracha, and rich sesame oil all dancing together in this amazing dressing. In short - Yes!  It's amazing!! What a hit this would be at a pot luck gathering!

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Ingredients: 

Marinade and dressing -

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp sriracha sauce
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 large chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions (white and green parts)

Salad - 

• 1 lb Napa cabbage, very thinly sliced**
• 2 carrots, grated 
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced and cut on the diagonal
• 2/3 cup freshly cut cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds, dry toasted
• 1 tsp white sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 tsp black sesame seeds, toasted.

**Can substitute romaine lettuce for Napa cabbage if desired.

Step-by-Step:

Marinade.

Whisk together the soy sauce, ginger, canola oil, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, sriracha, and salt to make the marinade. 

1/4 cup soy sauce

Peel and finely chop or grate the ginger.   Even better if you can find a cute little person to help you.

3 Tbsp minced ginger.

1/4 cup canola oil.

2 Tbsp hoisin sauce

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp sriracha sauce

1 tsp kosher salt

Now give it all a good mix... and SMELL it!  Wow, you HAVE to smell this!!   Too bad there's no scratch and sniff on the screen.

Trim the chicken breasts of any fat, and add them into a gallon zip top bag.  This is my favorite way to marinate things, rather than in a bowl.  Once you squeeze out all the air, it forces the liquid to envelope the meat all at once.  AND you can just throw it away afterwards.

Add 3 - 4 Tbsp of the marinade to the chicken.   

Note** - You are going to reserve the rest of the sauce that we just made (the part that is still in the mixing bowl).  It will become the dressing later, and it should never touch the raw chicken.  

Squeeze it all up!

Pound it to a uniform thickness.  This will allow them to cook more evenly and also help tenderize the meat.  Allow the flattened chicken breasts to marinade 30 minutes. 

This happens to be another step that little ones love to help with!  Get them involved!  They are much more likely to try things that they've helped to catch, grow, harvest, or create... and you are building precious memories in addition to skills.

Dressing.

To the reserved marinade, add in the 1/4 cup each of red wine vinegar and sliced green onions.  Now we have the dressing.

Grill the chicken.

To a hot grill pan (yes, an outdoor grill or 'regular' pan is fine), add the marinated chicken breasts.  I sprayed the pan with a little cooking spray prior to heating it up.  How HUGE are these chicken breasts?!  Wow!!

Cook them about 4 minutes per side or until there is no sign of pink, and juices run clear when pierced with a small, sharp knife. 

Transfer the chicken breasts to a cutting board and allow them to rest 15 minutes.  Please don't cut them right away... all the juices will run out leaving you with dry meat!  After the 15 minutes, you will cut them crosswise into 1/4" inch thick slices.

Salad.

In a large bowl, add the cabbage, carrots, green onions, cilantro, half of the sesame seeds, and half of the almonds. 

1 whole Napa cabbage - not the tough core.

2 carrots, grated

3 green onions - sliced thinly on an angle

2/3 cup lightly packed cilantro, rough chopped

Dry toast your almonds before adding them. 

1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds

Add the chicken and mix together. 

I added the pan drippings over the salad.  There was just too much "yumminess" left to throw it away.

Add just enough of the dressing to coat the salad lightly and toss together. 

Serve.  

Distribute salad among 4 - 6 plates.  Re-whisk the dressing and drizzle a little over each salad.  Garnish with the remaining almonds and sesame seeds on each salad.   

Gorgeous, isn't it?!

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Ham, Caramelized Onion, and Gruyere Quiche

Chicken Monterrey

Double Chocolate Pecan Pie

Cajun Chicken Salad

Steamed Asian Dumplings

Orzo Artichoke Pasta Salad

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Tomato Basil Chicken

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Written Method:
Marinade.

Whisk together the soy sauce, ginger, canola oil, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, sriracha, and salt to make the marinade.  Put the two chicken breasts in a gallon sized zip-top bag and add 3-4 Tbsp of the marinade over the chicken.  Reserve the rest of the marinade for the dressing.  Squeeze the air out of the bag so that the marinade comes into contact with the meat.  With a meat pounder (or heavy pan, or empty bottle), pound the breasts to a uniform thickness.  This will allow them to cook more evenly and also help tenderize the meat.  Allow the flattened chicken breasts to marinade 30 minutes.

Dressing. To the reserved marinade, add in the vinegar and green onions.  Now we have the dressing.

Grill the chicken. To a hot grill pan (yes, an outdoor grill or 'regular' pan is fine), add the marinated chicken breasts.  cook them about 4 minutes per side or until there is no signs of pink and juices run clear when pierced with a small, sharp knife.  Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and allow them to rest 15 minutes.  Please don't cut them right away... all the juices will run out leaving you with dry meat!  After the 15 minutes, you will cut them crosswise into 1/4" inch thick slices.

Salad. In a large bowl, add the cabbage, carrots, green onions, cilantro, half of the sesame seeds, and half of the almonds.  Add the chicken and mix together.  Add just enough of the dressing to coat the salad lightly and toss together.

Serve.  Distribute salad to 4 - 6 plates.  Re-whisk the dressing and drizzle a little over each salad.  Garnish with the remaining almonds and sesame seeds on each salad.