chinese chicken salad with red chile peanut dressing

a friend of mine shared this recipe on her blog and everyone she served it to raved about it. it sounded so darn tasty that i had to give it a whirl, thanks annette!

its a fresh and delicious salad that isnt heavy at all so its great for a quick and healthy summer dinner. and you can make it even simpler by buying a rotisserie chicken from the store and just shredding that up. dont be intimidated by the lengthy list of ingredients, they are all very basic and you can find them at any grocery store. this salad is equally delicious as a vegetarian salad, simply omit the chicken (duh) and you are good to go!

you can totally do this.

there's a bit of chopping involved but it goes by quickly and it is so worth the small amount of work.

to make prep work more fun i crank up some of my favorite tunes (lately this or  this), set a glass of wine, beer or a cocktail next to my chopping block and get to choppin!

chop scallions, snow peas, mint, cilantro, peanuts, napa cabbage and romaine lettuce.

then shred up a couple carrots.

shred that super convenient store roasted chicken. btw-this would also be a delicious vegetarian salad if you just leave out that pesky poultry.

make the dressing.

toss it all together.

pop open an ice cold beer or pour yourself a nice glass of wine and chow down!

chinese chicken salad with red chile peanut dressing  

via bobby flay

makes 6 servings

• 1/4 c rice wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons chipotle pepper puree
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 head Napa cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 head romaine lettuce, shredded
• 2 carrots, shredded
• 1/4 pound snow peas, julienned
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
• 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves 
• juice from 1 lime

whisk together the vinegar, peanut butter, ginger, chipotle pepper puree, lime juice, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, and canola oil in a medium bowl. season with salt and pepper, to taste. combine cabbage, lettuce, carrots, snow peas, cilantro, and green onion in a large bowl. add the dressing and toss to combine.


transfer to a serving platter and top with the shredded chicken, chopped peanuts, and mint.