Chinese Salad with Ginger Poached Chicken & Wonton Crisp

Freshness!

The first time I had a Chinese chicken salad was back in 1998 when Big Goo and I went to visit the Getty Center in Los Angeles.

If you have never visited the Getty Center I highly suggest you plan a trip there.

This place is beautiful, the art is beautiful and the Chinese Chicken Salad is the best Chinese Chicken Salad I have ever eaten. 

And yes, like I still do today, before blogging was the it thing, there was no Twitter or Facebook, I went home and tried to recreate the salad I had just eaten.

I try to use organic vegetables whenever possible. I love this spring mix, romaine lettuce would work well with this salad as well. I would highly suggest not using iceberg lettuce.

I shred my Napa Cabbage first, then soak it in cold water before spinning it in my favorite salad spinner.

You can julienne, dice, or chop your carrots, or purchase carrots already shredded for you.

Peel and grate a 1 inch piece of ginger, slice and juice 1 lemon and 1 lime for the vinaigrette. Reserve the squeezed lemon and lime for the poaching liquid.

  Use organic Chicken broth to poach the boneless skinless, chicken breast.

I add the lemon and lime I juiced for the vinaigrette, also adding slices of extra ginger and bay leaves to the poaching liquid.

 Cut the wonton skins in four to get strips.   

 Fry wontons strips in hot oil until golden brown, then drain.

After the poached chicken cools, use two forks to shred the chicken.

 

I toss only the salad I am going to eat immediately with vinaigrette to prevent wilting.

Chinese Salad with Ginger Poached Chicken & Wonton Crisp

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 6-8

  

Ingredients:

3 boneless , skinless chicken breast poached and shredded
1 head Napa cabbage shredded 

1 medium bag of coleslaw about 3 cups
16 oz of spring mix lettuce or romaine 
1/2 cup chopped scallions 
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro 
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons sesame seeds 
1/2 pack of wontons, fried 
1 recipe of vinaigrette (recipe below)
1 c. cooking oil
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
32 oz. organic chicken broth
3 bay leaves
sliced ginger slices
squeezed lemon and limes slices from vinaigrette

Poach Chicken:

Rinse chicken, put into a large stock pot, season chicken with 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper. Add bay leaves, ginger slices and squeezed lemon and lime slices from the vinaigrette.
  
Cover chicken with organic broth and turn heat up to high, bring chicken to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and poach chicken for about 20 minutes. Remove chicken from heat, allow to cool then shred with two forks and set aside. Poaching liquid can be frozen for a future use.

Assemble Salad:

Wash and spin all salad greens until completely dry. Add greens to a large bowl, add poached, cooled chicken. Top with cilantro, green onions, almonds, and sesame seeds. Salad can be tossed with vinaigrette if serving immediately. Otherwise I would only toss salad with vinaigrette I am going to eat immediately to prevent wilting. Add wonton crisp and enjoy.

Dressing: 
1/4 cup soy sauce 
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice 
2 tbsp. lime juice 
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger 
2 tablespoon of honey 
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar 
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar 
1 clove minced garlic 
1 teaspoon salt 
1/2 teaspoon black pepper 
1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil 
6 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  
Add everything to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator. 

Wonton Crisp:
Cut wonton wrappers into 1/2-inch-wide strips and separate on paper towels.

Heat  oil in a wide saucepan to 350°F. Fry strips until golden brown, drain, sprinkle salt if desired.

Can be stored in an airtight container for about 2 days.