Warm Ginger-Sesame Chicken Over Carrot & Radicchio Salad

November 20, 2013 by Laura Haugen 13 Comments

Maybe it’s in anticipation of The Big Cooking Day next week, but lately I’ve been drawn to fresh and light meals that are easy to prepare. This bright salad combines a spectrum of flavors and colors to please the palate and the eyes. It’s adapted from a Curtis Stone recipe, but I swapped out the cabbage in his version for purple radicchio (continuing our purple vegetable theme I mentioned yesterday) and a blend of green and red lettuces. I love the fresh zing of cilantro and scallions, and the crunch of toasted almonds and shredded carrots. Curtis’s marinade & dressing is a keeper, with its ginger & sesame notes sweetened with hoisin sauce and just a subtle spice kick from the sriracha. I might save some for those turkey leftovers next week!

Warm Ginger-Sesame Chicken Over Carrot & Radicchio Salad

(Adapted from Curtis Stone’s recipe for Grilled Ginger-Sesame Chicken Salad)

Serves 4

Ginger-Sesame Marinade/Dressing

• 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• grated fresh ginger from a peeled 1- to 2-inch piece
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, about 9 ounces each
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Salad

• Blend of red and green lettuces (one head or one packaged mix)
• 1 radicchio, core removed and very thinly sliced
• 2 carrots, shredded or cut into matchstick-size strips
• 3 scallions, (white and green parts), thinly sliced on a sharp diagonal
• 2/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted briefly (5 minutes or so) in dry heated skillet
• 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds, toasted very briefly (2 minutes or so) in dry heated skillet, and ground slightly with mortar & pestle

Directions:

To make marinade: In a medium bowl, whisk soy sauce, ginger, canola oil, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, Sriracha, and salt to blend. Transfer 3-4 tablespoons of the mixture to a baking dish, then add chicken and turn to coat it. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, turning after 15 minutes, or up to 1 day, turning occasionally.

To make dressing: Whisk vinegar and scallions into remaining marinade. Set aside.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from mari­nade, add to grill pan, and cook for about 4 minutes per side, or until chicken shows no sign of pink when pierced in thickest part with tip of a small sharp knife. (Note: for thicker pieces that don’t cook through the center on the stovetop, transfer them to a baking dish and continue cooking in a pre-heated oven at 350 F for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until cooked through.) Transfer to a cutting board and let cool for 15 minutes.

Cut chicken crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

Assembly: In a large bowl, toss radicchio & lettuces, carrots, scal­lions, and cilantro. Add sesame seeds to the dressing and whisk well. Drizzle enough dressing over the salad to coat lightly.

Mound salad in center of four plates. Rewhisk dressing and driz­zle a little over and around salad. Scatter chicken slices on top, sprinkle with almonds  and serve.

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