Asian Grilled Chicken Salad with Wasabi Ginger Lime Dressing

We recently traveled to Connecticut to visit my side of the family and celebrate my brother’s birthday. As always seems to be the case, we ate too much, drank too much and slept too little. My father is an amazing cook and never fails to present rich dishes that trigger memories from childhood. He cooked for our family almost every night that I can remember growing up. Usually I have to beg him to bring home appetizers to help out with the hungry crowd or a side dish to compliment his menu. This weekend my Dad asked me to bring a fresh salad- and I challenged myself to use up as much of our extra produce as possible.

 

My sister and brother in law own a CSA, which is great for their local community and even better for us! We never leave empty handed and are always carrying barrels and bags away from their farm as we leave. This trip they were overflowing with cabbage, kale, carrots and onions.

 

I have really been loving wasabi paste lately to throw into marinades, pastes and dressings! I knew I wanted to create a big earthy, communal salad with vibrant and bright flavors to compliment the sweet and buttery lobster. You can always adjust the amount of wasabi paste depending on your tastes and tolerance for spice.

 

 

I stopped at the market and wanted to find something extra fun to throw on top. I found some fresh pea shoots, which were exactly what I wanted and I knew would definitely pop against the yellow bell peppers and the red cabbage.

 

This is a perfect colorful and fun recipe to try as a side dish or a main course. You could also add wonton strips or sesame seeds for some crunch and texture…. Enjoy!

 

 

Asian Grilled Chicken Salad with Wasabi Ginger Lime Dressing

• Prep Time: 20-25 mins.
• Total Time: 30-35 mins.
• Serves 4-5

 

Wasabi Dressing:

• Rice Vinegar- 3 tbsp.
• Lime Juice- 1 ½ tbsp. or 1 lime
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. honey
• 1 garlic clove, minced with salt to form a paste
• 1 tbsp. ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 2 tbsp. Kikkoman wasabi sauce
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped finely
  • Add rice vinegar through wasabi paste and whisk together. Fold in cilantro and served tossed or with salad.

 

Salad:

• Chicken breast, prepared
• 2 cups red cabbage and kale mix, shredded
• 1 cup spinach and greens mix, shredded
• Red onion- 1 cup
• Yellow bell pepper- 1 cup
• Pea shoots- 2 cups
• Carrots, julienned- 1 cup
• Almonds, sliced
  • If adding chicken, season with salt, pepper, turmeric, chili powder/cayenne (depending on spice tolerance) and pan sear 2-3 minutes each side. Finish in oven at 375 until temperature reads 165.
  • Prepare greens mixture (cabbage, kale, spinach, greens/lettuce), wash and dry thoroughly. My salad spinner is everything!!
  • Add remaining ingredients and combine gently. Toss with salad dressing and serve with pea shoots and almonds.