Chinese Chicken and Chickpea Salad
This is a go-to salad for those lazy summer days when you want something easy to make but that’s still packed with flavor. A little help from the store in the form of rotisserie chicken, bagged Asian cabbage slaw and canned chickpeas come together with a savory sesame soy dressing. Feel free to dress it up as you wish—some baby spinach, avocado or even swap out the chicken for grilled shrimp—it’s all good (and very delicious).
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
Sesame Soy Dressing
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon chili crisp
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1½ tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon
2 limes, juiced
1” piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated
¼ cup neutral oil (such as grapeseed or avocado)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed and meat pulled into bite sized pieces
One 1-pound bag Asian cabbage slaw
One 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup honey-roasted cashews, roughly chopped and divided
One 15-ounce can mandarin oranges, drained
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced and divided
Toasted sesame seeds, for finishing
METHOD
In a large mixing bowl, make the dressing. Add sesame oil, chili crisp, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, Dijon, lime juice and ginger. Add a pinch of kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Pour in neutral oil and whisk until emulsified.
To the bowl, add prepared chicken, slaw mix and chickpeas and toss with dressing. Fold in half of the cashews (see note) and scallions along with mandarin oranges.
Pour into a serving platter, then top with remaining cashews and scallions, garnish with sesame seeds and serve.
Note: If you’re not serving the salad immediately, wait until serving to fold in cashews.
Have you made it?
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