This salad makes a delicious and healthy dinner. Or pack it into your lunch and dress it just before eating. Start with your basic spring greens, and add vegetables that give it an Asian feel. Finish with teryaki grilled chicken, a sprinkle of peanuts and a ginger based dressing.
Asian Chicken Salad
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Soy Vay teryaki sauce, or another good teryaki sauce
1/2 to 3/4 cup peanuts, chopped
Ginger-based salad dressing, like Paul Newman's Lowfat Sesame Ginger
Spring mix salad greens (grab one large handful for each serving)
Wash, and slice into small bite sized pieces, the following veggies:
red onion
red pepper
sugar snap peas, cut in half, crosswise
cucumber
mushrooms
carrots
red cabbage
green onion
chopped cilantro
First, marinate the chicken thighs for 1 hour or so in a good teryaki sauce, containing ginger (for tenderness). I like to use either Soy Vay or Trader Joe's brand, called Soyaki.
Next, place the chicken thighs on a broiler pan and broil. Make sure you monitor the chicken so it doesn't burn. When you start to see the edges of the chicken turning dark brown, and the overall look is golden, then remove from the broiler and turn the pieces over. Cook on this side until a nice golden crust has formed on the thighs. Then, switch the broiler off and change the heat to bake at 375 degrees. Continue cooking the thighs another 10 minutes in the oven until completely cooked through. This method of broiling first, then baking to finish, gives you that nice, golden, barbequed look and taste, while avoiding the burning from an overly hot broiler. Here's what the chicken should look like, coming out of the oven:
Allow the chicken to cool, then slice across the grain into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
Meanwhile, prepare the salad foundation, by placing the salad greens, then all the sliced veggies layered into a wide-brimmed salad bowl.
It will look similar to this:
Now, top your salad with the sliced chicken, a sprinkle of chopped peanuts, a little cilantro and green onion.
You can either toss the dressing into the salad, or leave it on the side for people to add themselves.
I like to toss the dressing if I think the salad will be eaten up. If you think you'll have leftovers, your salad will keep for 1-2 days in the refrigerator as long as it is not dressed. That makes a great lunch to bring to work the next day!
Here are pics of the chopped peanuts and salad dressing:
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