Chicken Cashew Crunch Salad (Printer-friendly)
Tender chicken, crisp veggies, and roasted cashews tossed in a tangy sesame-soy dressing with a satisfying crunch.
# What You Need:
→ Poultry
01 - 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - Salt and black pepper, to taste
→ Vegetables
04 - 2 cups shredded Napa cabbage
05 - 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
06 - 1 large carrot, julienned
07 - 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
08 - 3 green onions, sliced
09 - 1 cup snap peas, sliced on the diagonal
10 - ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
→ Crunch & Toppings
11 - ¾ cup roasted cashew nuts, roughly chopped
12 - 1 cup crispy wonton strips
13 - 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
→ Dressing
14 - ¼ cup rice vinegar
15 - 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
16 - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
17 - 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
18 - 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
19 - 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
20 - 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
21 - 1 teaspoon sriracha or chili garlic sauce
22 - Salt and black pepper, to taste
# How to Make It:
01 - Coat the chicken breasts with olive oil and season generously with salt and black pepper. Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat and sear the chicken for 6 to 7 minutes per side until fully cooked through and juices run clear. Transfer to a plate and rest for 5 minutes before slicing thinly against the grain.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded Napa cabbage, purple cabbage, julienned carrot, sliced red bell pepper, green onions, diagonal-cut snap peas, and fresh cilantro leaves. Toss gently to distribute evenly.
03 - In a small bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, low-sodium soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, honey or maple syrup, vegetable oil, grated fresh ginger, minced garlic, and sriracha. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Blend until smooth and emulsified.
04 - Add the sliced chicken to the prepared vegetable mixture. Drizzle the dressing over the top and toss gently to coat all ingredients evenly.
05 - Scatter the roughly chopped roasted cashews, crispy wonton strips, and sesame seeds over the salad just before serving to preserve maximum crunch.
06 - Plate and serve immediately while the textures are at their peak. The crunch toppings are best enjoyed fresh.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The double cabbage situation means leftovers stay crunchy even the next day, which is rare and precious in salad land.
- That sesame-soy dressing hits every flavor note at once, tangy, sweet, salty, with a low hum of heat that keeps you going back for another bite.
02 -
- Add the cashews and wonton strips at the very last second or they will go soft and the entire point of this salad collapses.
- A rotisserie chicken from the store works perfectly and cuts your active cooking time down to ten minutes flat.
03 -
- Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until they just start to pop and smell nutty, which takes barely a minute but changes everything about their flavor.
- Grate the ginger directly over the dressing bowl using a microplane so none of the potent juice escapes onto your cutting board.