Ina’s Chinese Chicken Salad

Whenever I come across a recipe with a long list of ingredients, I approach with caution. I was relieved that I already had most of the ingredients in my cabinets. This dish came together pretty easily. I only used 3 chicken breasts, but they were really large. After the chicken finished cooking, I put McHubby on chicken shredding duty while I worked on the dressing. I was hesitant to use the full amount of salt after reading the reviews online, but I ended up using the 2 teaspoons anyway, probably because my soy sauce was low-sodium. I also doubled the amount of honey for a slightly sweeter flavor.

In the end, we liked this dish. I served over thin oriental noodles, like udon. Thanks to McKenzie of Kenzie's Kitchen for selecting this Barefoot Bloggers recipe.

Source: Chinese Chicken Salad, Barefoot Contessa Parties!

Ingredients
4 split chicken breasts (bone-in, skin-on)
Good olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
½ pound asparagus, ends removed, and cut in thirds diagonally
1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded
2 scallions (white and green parts), sliced diagonally
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, toasted

For the dressing:
½ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup good apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 ½ tablespoons dark sesame oil
½ tablespoon honey
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon peeled, grated fresh ginger
½ tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
¼ cup smooth peanut butter
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub the skin with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and shred the chicken in large bite-sized pieces.

Blanch the asparagus in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes until crisp-tender. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain. Cut the peppers in strips about the size of the asparagus pieces. Combine the cut chicken, asparagus, and peppers in a large bowl.

Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the chicken and vegetables. Add the scallions and sesame seeds and season to taste. Serve cold or at room temperature.