CSA Week 2 recipeAsian Chicken, Cabbage and Kale Salad

Asian Chicken, Cabbage and Kale Salad

This salad, which is my healthier version of the classic Chinese chicken salad, uses kale, two kinds of cabbage, carrots and peanuts for crunch and an easy spicy ginger peanut vinaigrette that adds a ton of flavor without a package of ramen noodles anywhere in sight.



2 bunches curly Kale, stems removed, leaves sliced thin
1/2 small head Green Cabbage, very thinly sliced
1/4 small head Red Cabbage, very thinly sliced
2-3 Carrots, julienned
1/4 Red Onion, very thinly sliced
1 bunch Scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 bunch Cilantro, finely chopped – believe it or not, I use the entire bunch
2-3 Chicken Breasts, roasted, removed from bone and chopped or sliced thin

Salt and pepper, to season the chicken
1/2 cup Salted Peanuts

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For the Dressing:
1 heaping tablespoon Peanut Butter
3 tablespoons Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Rice Wine Vinegar
1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
2 tablespoons freshly grated Ginger (do not substitute dried Ginger)
3 tablespoons Honey (more or less to taste)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Scant 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha (Thai Hot Sauce aka “rooster sauce”) or to taste
2/3 to 1 cup Grapeseed (or other neutral flavored) Oil



Roast, bake, broil or grill the seasoned chicken until just cooked through.  Cool and chop, slice or shred the chicken.  Toss the kale, cabbages, carrots, onion, scallions, cilantro and cooled chicken in a large bowl.



For the dressing, in a medium bowl, use the soy sauce and vinegar to thin the peanut butter a bit in order to create a smooth base for the rest of the dressing ingredients.  Add the sesame oil, fresh ginger, honey, salt, pepper and sriracha.  Taste and adjust the seasonings.  Feel free to add more honey for sweetness, soy for saltiness, vinegar for sour or sriracha and/or ginger for heat.  When you’ve got the hot, sour, sweet and salty balance right, whisk in the grapeseed (or other neutral flavored) oil.

Dress the salad greens with the dressing and combine well.  Just prior to serving, top with peanuts.



An option here is to dress only a portion of the salad at a time keeping the dressing separate and only combining it with the salad “greens” as it will be eaten.  For salad on the go, put some of the dressing in the bottom of a container or jar, add the greens and a few peanuts and go.  When you’re ready to eat, simply shake it up and you’ve “dressed” your salad.