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Sesame Peanut Chicken Salad
Served with Spiced Rice Noodles
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Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes Total time: 25 minutes |
- 1 large carrot
- 8 oz. button mushrooms
- 2 bags mixed lettuce, preferably organic
- 1-inch piece fresh ginger
- 1 bunch scallions
- 1/2 cup roasted, salted peanuts
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
- 1 3 lb. rotisserie chicken, preferably organic
- 8 oz. dried rice vermicelli
Shopping List
- Black pepper
- Canola oil
- Red pepper flakes
- Rice vinegar
- Sea salt
- Sesame oil
- Soy sauce or tamari
- White sugar
Pantry Items
- Chef’s knife
- Large stockpot or pasta pot
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowls
- Nonstick fry pan
- Paring knife
- Salad spinner
- Strainer
- Tongs
- Vegetable peeler
- Whisk
- Wooden spoons
Tools
- Wine: Riesling or beer for this one!
- Dessert: Brown sugar brownies
Suggestions
- When you walk in the door
- Fill the pasta pot 2/3 with water, add 2 tbsps. salt and put over high heat
- Don’t refrigerate the chicken
- Get out Pantry Items
- Get out Tools
- Assemble the ingredients
- Open the wine and refrigerate
- Prep
- Put the noodles in a bowl, cover them with cold water and soak until they are pliable (20-30 minutes).
- Peel and trim the carrot. Using a vegetable peeler, “peel” it into a large bowl, so you have nice, long strips.
- Trim the ends of the mushroom stems. Using a damp paper towel, wipe the mushrooms, then thinly slice and put them in the bowl with the carrots.
- Rinse and spin dry the lettuces, if necessary. Tear into large bite-size pieces, if necessary and add to the carrots and the mushrooms.
- Trim the scallions of any limp outer leave, the root end and the ends of the stalks and cut them into 1/4-inch rounds and add them to the salad ingredients.
- Peel the ginger. Mince it and measure out 1 tsp. If there is some remaining, refrigerate it and save it for another use.
- Coarsely chop the peanuts.
- Get someone to set the table.
- Remove as much meat as you can from the chicken. Cut or shred it into bite-size pieces and put it in the bowl with the lettuce and other vegetables.
- Start Cooking
- Put the sesame seeds in the nonstick fry pan over medium heat and toast them until they are golden, shaking the pan continually once it’s hot. The seeds will want to jump out of the pan so you have to move it around constantly to keep this from happening. When they’re toasted, pour them into a bowl.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together 2 tbsps. each soy sauce or tamari, rice vinegar, sesame oil and canola or peanut oil and the minced ginger. Taste for seasoning and adjust by adding more soy sauce, or salt.
- In another good-sized bowl, whisk together 2 tbsps. soy sauce or tamari, 1 tbsp. rice vinegar, ½ tsp. sugar, 2 tbsps. sesame oil and red pepper flakes to taste.
- When the water comes to a boil, add the rice noodles and cook until they’re soft, which will take 10 seconds (en eye-blink). Drain and add them to the red pepper mixture and toss. You’ll need to use tongs or two forks.
- Pour the canola and sesame oil dressing over the vegetables and chicken and toss, toss, toss. Add the sesame seeds and the peanuts and toss again. Adjust the seasoning, and if the salad is a bit dry, add more vinegar and more sesame oil in equal measure. Toss it some more.
- After all that tossing, you’ll be starving. Your dinner is ready! We suggest putting a mound of hot noodles on your plate and covering it with some salad. Try it, it’s delish!
