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Easy Asian Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing

This Easy Asian Chicken Salad Recipe, adapted from the lovely Andie Mitchell's cookbook Eating in the Middle, combines carrots, cabbage + romaine with creamy peanut dressing - a crunchy, healthy version of Chinese chicken salad!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 6
Author Phoebe Lapine

Ingredients

  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • Sea salt & black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 hearts of romaine about 6 cups, thinly sliced
  • 2 cups finely shredded red cabbage about ¼ head
  • 2 large carrots cut into matchsticks
  • 3 scallions about 1 cup, thinly sliced
  • ½ cup unsalted peanuts

For the dressing

  • ¼ cup creamy natural peanut butter
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon gluten-free tamari
  • 1 lime halved
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper or sriracha
  • 1 lime for serving, cut into wedges

Instructions

  1. Set a 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over a medium-high flame. Season the chicken with sea salt and pepper. Add the olive oil to the pan, followed by the chicken breasts. Cook until golden brown and firm, about 8 minutes per side. Remove to a plate to rest for 10 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, toss the romaine, cabbage, carrots and scallions in a large salad bowl.
  3. In a small food processor, pulse the peanuts until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
  4. Add the peanut butter, honey, tamari, juice of half a lime, and cayenne to the processor and puree until smooth, adding up to ¼ cup water to get the dressing thin enough to drizzle. (Alternatively, you can chop the peanuts and whisk the dressing by hand).
  5. Slice the chicken into thin strips and arrange on top of the romaine. Drizzle with the dressing and gently toss to coat.
  6. To serve, divide the salad between 4 plates and sprinkle with the chopped peanuts, and garnish with the remaining half a lime, but into quarters.