Pacific Rim Chicken Salad
Recipe By: Eric Vellend
This salad is a good way to use up leftover chicken or turkey — you’ll need 4 cups of cooked, shredded meat. The tender heart of lemongrass comes from the bottom 4″ with the tough outer layers discarded.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 4 cups water
- 2 stalks lemon grass, chopped
- 3 1⁄4″-thick slices ginger
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 1 star anise
- Salt, to taste
- 2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Dressing
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1⁄4 cup lime juice
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp Sriracha sauce
Salad
- 1 tbsp jasmine rice
- 1 1⁄2 tbsp finely chopped lemongrass, tender heart only
- 1 fresh long red chili, seeded, thinly sliced
- 1⁄4 cup thinly sliced shallot
- 1⁄2 cup mint leaves, lightly packed
- 1 cup cilantro leaves, lightly packed
- 1 to 2 romaine hearts, leaves separated, washed, dried
- Lime wedges, for serving
Directions
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
- To cook chicken, place all ingredients except chicken in a large pot. Bring to boil over high heat. Boil 5 minutes. Add chicken. Reduce heat to simmer. Simmer until chicken is cooked through, 15 minutes. Using tongs, transfer chicken to baking tray to cool. (Strain and freeze cooking liquid for another use.) Pull meat into thick shreds. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- To make dressing, whisk together all ingredients in a medium bowl until sugar
is dissolved. Cover. Refrigerate. - Place rice in a small frying pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until lightly golden, 10 minutes. Transfer to plate to cool. When cool, grind to coarse powder in spice grinder. (It will only take a few pulses.)
- To make salad, combine chicken, lemongrass, chili, shallot, herbs and dressing in a bowl. Mix well. Mound on a serving platter. Sprinkle with rice powder. Serve with romaine leaves and lime wedges.
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