This salad is soooo good! I love the mixture of citrus, soy sauce and sesame oil for the dressing, and the combination of moist chicken, crunchy vegetables and tender greens…delicious! I made it for my Mom’s birthday luncheon recently and everybody loved it (especially Mom)!

I substituted fresh spinach for the watercress, and added some Sriracha Hot Chile Sauce to the dressing for a little kick. To make the salad a meal, I served it with a variety of spring rolls that I got at Trader Joe’s. Yumm!

For other recipe ideas, check out: Friday Favorites, Foodie Friday, Finer Things Friday, Friday Food, It’s a Hodgepodge Friday.

Chicken Salad with Crunchy Vegetables and Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette
-recipe from Fresh Every Day: More Great Recipes From Foster’s Market by Sara Foster

I’m always looking for new ways to satisfy my customers’ insatiable appetites for chicken salad. This one can be made several hours in advance, so it’s the perfect thing to take to the office for lunch or on a picnic. If you like to eat lots of vegetables, toss in a handful of shredded savoy or napa cabbage, snow peas, or julienned carrots for more crunch.

Serves 4 to 6.

4 cups shredded cooked chicken (one 3 1/2 to 4-pound roasted chicken)
2 ribs bok choy or celery stalks, sliced on the diagonal into 1/4″ pieces
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 scallions, minced (white and green parts)
Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
2 cups watercress, washed and trimmed of tough stems
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine the chicken, bok choy or celery, red pepper, cilantro, scallions, and 1/2 cup of the vinaigrette in a large bowl and toss to mix. Add the watercress and more vinaigrette to taste. Season with salt and pepper and toss again gently. Divide the salad evenly among individual plates or place on a large platter and serve immediately.

Note: If you make this salad to serve later, add the watercress and toss with the dressing just before serving.

Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette

Makes about 1 cup

Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
2 tablespoons light soy sauce or tamari
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger (about 1 2″ piece)
2 scallions, minced (white and green parts)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup canola or safflower oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Stir the orange zest and juice, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, ginger, scallions, and garlic together in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the sesame and canola oils until they are incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the sesame seeds just before serving. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to serve for up to 1 week.

Tags: bok choy, Chicken, cilantro, ginger, honey, orange juice, rice wine vinegar, Salad, sesame oil, sesame seeds, sesame vinaigrette, soy sauce

These Asian-inspired chicken thighs grill up tender and flavorful, and take only minutes to prepare. Chinese five-spice powder is a blend of spices that has the five different flavors: sweet, sour, bitter, pungent, and salty. For this recipe, the five-spice (and a few other basic ingredients) are turned into a rub for the chicken. After grilling, the chicken thighs are tossed with a soy sauce and rice vinegar mixture and sprinkled with freshly chopped cilantro. To round out the meal, serve with steamed jasmine rice and some stir-fried veggies or an Asian slaw. Delicious!

For other recipe ideas, check out Foodie Friday.

Grilled Five-Spice Chicken Thighs with Soy-Vinegar Sauce & Cilantro
-recipe by Pamela Anderson for Fine Cooking Magazine
 
Serves four to six.

2 Tbs. Chinese five-spice powder
1 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. dark brown sugar
1 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbs. soy sauce
2 tsp. rice vinegar
1 tsp. Asian sesame oil
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2-1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8 large, 10 medium, or 12 small), trimmed of excess fat
2 Tbs. vegetable oil; more for the grill
3 Tbs. chopped cilantro

Mix the five-spice powder, the 1 Tbs. sugar, the garlic powder, and the salt in a small bowl. In another bowl, mix the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and remaining 1 tsp. sugar.

Put the chicken in a shallow pan, drizzle with the vegetable oil, and toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the chicken; toss and rub to coat thoroughly.

Prepare a hot charcoal fire or heat a gas grill with all burners on medium high for 10 min. Clean the hot grate with a wire brush and then lubricate it with an oil-soaked paper towel. Put the chicken on the grate and grill (covered on a gas grill or uncovered over a charcoal fire) until one side has dark grill marks, 5 to 6 min. for large thighs or 4 to 5 min. for medium and small thighs. Turn and continue to grill until well marked on the other sides and cooked through, 5 to 6 min. longer for large thighs or 4 to 5 min. for medium and small thighs.

Move the thighs to a serving dish. Drizzle with about half of the soy mixture, sprinkle with the cilantro, and toss to coat. Let rest 4 to 5 min., tossing once or twice. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature, with the remaining soy mixture passed at the table.

Variations:
To prepare as kebabs: Trim the thighs and then slice them lengthwise into 1-1/2- to 2-inch-wide strips. Toss with the flavorings; then thread the chicken onto six 8- or 12-inch skewers (soak wood skewers in water for at least 20 min. first), folding each strip in half as you skewer it. If some strips are very thick, cut them in half crosswise rather than folding them so that all the pieces of chicken are roughly the same size. Grill the kebabs, turning them every 4 to 5 min. as dark grill marks form, until cooked through, 12 to 15 min. total.

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On The Grill

Tags: chicken thighs, Chinese five-spice, crushed red pepper flakes, Grilling/BBQ, rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce

This crisp-tender, Asian-inspired asparagus dish is easy, delicious and a snap to make! I’ve made it many times and people always love it.

Always, always, always trim asparagus!!! There’s nothing worse than having to gnaw on the woody, tough end of a piece of asparagus, especially at a party. Those untrimmed ends are impossible to eat. Do your guests a favor and take a few extra  minutes to trim the tough ends off. Next, have your bowl of ice water ready when you start cooking the asparagus so you can immediately “shock” it after you drain it from the boiling water. This stops the cooking process and helps the asparagus stay bright green.

I’m linking this recipe to the following blog parties: Ultimate Recipe Swap.

Chilled Asparagus with Sesame Vinaigrette

Serves 8.

2 pounds asparagus, ends trimmed
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
toasted sesame seeds (garnish)

Cook asparagus in large skillet of boiling salted water until just crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Drain and immerse in bowl of ice water. Drain again, pat dry and set aside. In a large bowl, combine soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, and sesame oil. No more than 1 hour before serving, add asparagus to soy sauce mixture and marinate. Chill at least 30 minutes. Remove from marinade and arrange on a serving plate. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

Tags: Appetizer, Asian, asparagus, sesame oil, sesame seeds

Who needs Asian takeout when you can easily make it yourself in just a few minutes? Ok, I admit that it is fun to get takeout but this recipe for Cashew Chicken just might inspire you to skip the takeout joint and try it yourself at home. With just a few minutes of prep and a few minutes on the stove, I had a great weeknight dinner for my family. I actually tripled the recipe so I could take some over to my neighbor who was recovering from knee surgery. My family and my neighbor gave the Cashew Chicken two thumbs up.

For other recipe ideas, check out: Friday Food.

Cashew Chicken
-recipe from williams-sonoma.com

For a quick and easy side dish, separate 1 lb. broccoli into small florets. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the broccoli, and cook just until bright green and tender-crisp, about 3 minutes. Drain well, place in a dish, drizzle lightly with soy sauce and chili or sesame oil, toss and serve.

3 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. rice wine or dry sherry
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. Asian sesame oil
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. cornstarch
3 Tbs. corn or peanut oil
2 green onions, chopped
1 cup salted roasted cashews
Steamed rice for serving

Marinate the chicken:
In a large bowl, stir together 2 Tbs. of the soy sauce, the wine and ginger. Stir in the chicken to coat evenly and set aside for 15 minutes.

Make the sauce:
In a small bowl, combine 2 Tbs. water, the remaining 1 Tbs. soy sauce, the Worcestershire sauce, sesame oil, sugar and cornstarch, and stir to dissolve the sugar and cornstarch.

Stir-fry the chicken:
Heat a wok or large fry pan over high heat until very hot and add 2 Tbs. of the corn oil. Remove the chicken from the marinade, draining it well, and discard the marinade. Add the chicken to the wok and stir-fry until opaque, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a bowl.

Return the wok to medium heat and add the remaining 1 Tbs. corn oil. Add the green onions and stir-fry until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Return the chicken to the wok and add the cashews. Give the sauce a quick stir, add to the pan and stir until the sauce thickens slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately with the steamed rice. Serves 4.

Tags: Asian, cashew, Chicken, ginger, Quick Cooking, sesame oil, soy sauce, stir-fry