Asian-inspired chicken salad with bok choy

A crisp, delicious and satisfying meal!

I love the flavours of various Asian cuisines a lot. It’s probably because the sauces are always umami-packed and dishes often feature a lot of gently-cooked or even raw vegetables, of which I am a huge fan. The sugar snap peas and bok choy in this salad give it tons of crunch and the flavourful dressing, featuring ponzu – an Asian citrus-infused soya sauce – really pulls the whole thing together. The salad can be prepared ahead of time but should only be dressed immediately before serving. If you like this recipe, you might also enjoy my other Asian-inspired chicken salad.

Ingredients

Salad:

• 1 large skinless boneless chicken breast (about 8 oz/ 227 g)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 thin slices fresh gingerroot
• 1 green onion, halved lengthwise
• 4 sprigs fresh cilantro
• 6 oz (170 g) sugar snap peas
• 12 oz (350 g) baby bok choy (about 3-4 heads)
• 1/2 seedless cucumber
• 1 small sweet red pepper
• To garnish: handful chopped cilantro leaves, 1 green onion, sliced and handful chopped cashews

Dressing:

• 3 tablespoons (45 mL) ponzu*
• 2 teaspoons (4 g) minced fresh gingerroot
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) seasoned rice vinegar
• 5 teaspoons (25 mL) vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) sesame oil

*or us 2 tablespoons (15 mL) soya sauce mixed with 1 tablespoon (15 mL) orange or lemon juice.

Method

• Fill medium skillet with enough water to cover the chicken breast. Bring to a boil then stir in salt, ginger slices, green onion and cilantro sprigs. Add chicken breast the reduce heat to medium. Cover pot and cook chicken at a simmer until internal temperature in the thickest part registers 165F. Transfer cooked chicken to a plate and let cool before shredding. Note that chicken can be prepared and refrigerated up to 48 hours in advance.
• While chicken is cooking, make dressing. Shake together in a small jar with a tight lid the ponzu, minced gingerroot and  rice vinegar. Add vegetable oil and sesame oil and shake again. Set aside.
• Rinse snap peas and slice in half on the diagonal. Rinse bok choy and slice thinly, crosswise. Halve cucumber lengthwise and slice thinly. Remove core and seeds from red pepper and slice thinly. Place vegetables in a bowl; add shredded chicken and toss to combine. Salad can be prepared to this point and refrigerated for up to 8 hours.
• When ready to serve, shake dressing again then drizzle over salad and toss to combine. Scatter chopped cilantro, sliced green onion and chopped cashews over top and serve immediately.

Serves 2-3; recipe can easily be multiplied.