Simple Chinese chicken salad

The finished dish - Chinese chicken salad

blanching snap peas



napa cabbage 



rainbow radish

peeling ginger with the back of a spoon

salad ready to be tossed with miso sesame dressing

By this point in the winter season, I have had my fill of stews, braises and other comforting one pot meals. Now it's time to start thinking about spring! Lighten up your dinner table with a crunchy, colorful and slightly nutty Chinese chicken salad. This is no Wolfgang Puck Chinese chicken salad nor is it a riff my favorite from Comforts in San Anselmo, California. Rightfully so, those salads have serious followings. They are destination salads with a sweetness I enjoy but dare not touch. Instead, my version of a Chinese chicken salad has been influenced by a sugar snap pea salad from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook which also happens to be this month's cookbook project. Enjoy!

Chinese Chicken Salad
1 pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, meat shredded
1/2 lb sugar snap peas

1/2 lb napa cabbage, leaves stacked & cut into thin strips (3 cups)

5 romaine lettuce leaves, shredded like cabbage

1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

2 radishes, quartered & thinly sliced

3 scallions, thinly sliced on the bias

1 tablespoons sesame seeds, well toasted (heat a dry skillet over medium high heat, shaking pan constantly, until golden brown, about 4 minutes)

1/2 cup shredded carrots (or grate one medium carrot)
1 seedless tangerine, peeled and split into sections (or use canned)

Sesame-miso dressing

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 clove garlic, peeled

2 tablespoons miso paste or low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste) or 1 tbsp creamy peanut butter

1 tablespoon honey

1/3 cup rice vinegar

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons olive oil

1. In a large bowl, place shredded/chopped chicken. Set aside.
2. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare a bowl of ice water and set on your counter while water snap peas cook. Boil sugar snap peas for about 1 minute, or until just barely cooked but still crisp. Scoop them out of water with a large slotted spoon and drop into ice water to stop the cooking. Once they have cooled, drain and pat dry. If desired, cut peas on the bias into thin slices or leave whole. Toss in with the chicken.
3. To the salad bowl also add the cabbage, romaine, almonds, radish, scallions, 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds, carrots and tangerine segments.

4. Meanwhile, to make the dressing, place all but the sesame and olive oil in blender. Give it a quick whirl to combine the ingredients and chop the garlic. While the motor is running, slowly drizzle the oils through the removable inner lid until the dressing comes together. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

4. Toss salad with half the dressing. Taste and add more if needed. Sprinkle salad with the remaining sesame seeds. Serve mounded in the center of each plate.
Note: this salad also tastes great without chicken.

Serves 4-6