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Chinese chicken salad with rice noodles and sesame-citrus dressing

Chinese chicken salad with rice noodles and sesame-citrus dressing

Paleo-Friendly, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free

4 Servings, 560 Calories/Serving

30 – 40 Minutes

This paleo-friendly and gluten-free main-course salad is sweet and tangy thanks to our housemade sesame-citrus dressing.

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Ingredients

  • 5 ounces flat rice noodles*
  • 4 to 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 1 pound total)
  • 1-inch piece fresh ginger
  • 1 or 2 cloves peeled fresh garlic
  • 1 wedge Savoy cabbage (about ¾ pound)
  • 2 red bell peppers
  • ¼ cup roasted cashews
  • 3 scallions
  • 3 ounces shredded carrots
  • Sesame-citrus dressing (lemon juice - orange juice - sesame oil)
  • *Not paleo; omit for a paleo-strict version.

Chef's Tip

Instead of soaking the rice noodles, you can cook them in boiling water, like pasta. Bring a medium sauce pot of unsalted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until just tender, 2 to 4 minutes, then drain.

Nutrition per serving

Instructions

1

Soak the rice noodles

  • Set the rice noodles in a large heatproof bowl.
In a small sauce pot, bring 1½ quarts water to a boil. Pour the boiling water over the rice noodles and let soak until just tender, 6 to 7 minutes. Drain the noodles and rinse under cold water; return them to the bowl and toss with 1 to 2 teaspoons oil to prevent sticking.
While the water heats and the noodles soak, prepare the chicken.

2

Prep and cook the chicken

  • Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel; season generously with salt and pepper.
  • Grate or peel and finely chop enough ginger to measure 1 teaspoon.
  • Finely chop, press, or grate enough garlic to measure 1 teaspoon.
In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 to 2 tablespoons oil until hot but not smoking. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until lightly browned and almost cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Add the ginger and garlic and cook, turning the chicken once or twice to coat with the ginger and garlic, until the chicken is cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a cutting board to cool, then cut the chicken into ¼-inch-wide strips.
While the chicken cooks and cools, prepare the remaining ingredients.

3

Prep the remaining ingredients

  • Cut away any core from the cabbage; thinly slice the cabbage.
  • Remove the stems, ribs, and seeds from the bell peppers; cut the bell peppers into ¼-inch-wide strips.
  • Using the bottom of a bowl, lightly crush the cashews for garnish.
  • Trim the root ends from the scallions; thinly slice the scallions on the diagonal for garnish.

4

Toss the salad

In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, bell peppers, and carrots. Add the chicken and as much sesame-citrus dressing as you like and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5

Serve

Set out the chicken salad, rice noodles, cashews, scallions, and any remaining dressing and invite everyone to assemble their own salads.

Kids can!
  • Set the noodles in a heatproof bowl.
  • Press the garlic (if you have a press).
  • Measure out the ginger and garlic.
  • Crush the cashews.
  • Toss the salad.

Protein: 32g (64% DV), Fiber: 7g (28% DV), Total Fat: 32g (49% DV), Monounsaturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 5g (25% DV), Cholesterol: 90mg (30% DV), Sodium: 400mg (17% DV), Carbohydrates: 39g (13% DV), Total Sugars: 9g, Added Sugars: 0g (0% DV). Not a significant source of trans fat.
Contains: tree nuts.

Paleo-strict nutrition per serving: Calories: 370, Protein: 28g (56% DV), Fiber: 6g (24% DV), Total Fat: 21g (32% DV), Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 3.5g (18% DV), Cholesterol: 90mg (30% DV), Sodium: 270mg (11% DV), Carbohydrates: 21g (7% DV), Total Sugars: 8g, Added Sugars: 0g (0% DV). Not a significant source of trans fat.