You’ll definitely make friends with this poached chicken salad with kick

Name: You’ll definitely make friends with this poached chicken salad with kick
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Vietnamese,Asian
Ingredients: 2 large carrots, peeled and julienned; 125g snowpeas, topped and tailed; 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 500g total); 2 Lebanese cucumbers, julienned; 1 cup chopped coriander; 5 spring onions, thinly sliced; 40g roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

Danielle Alvarez

October 4, 2024

Allow time for this salad to marinate before serving.William Meppem

easyTime:30 mins - 1 hourServes:4

As the weather warms up, I start to think about dining al fresco and the foods that are best suited to it. Salads that enjoy a bit of marinating before serving are my favourites. This one is at its best the day it’s assembled; you can prep everything ahead of time and throw it together a few hours before eating, keeping it chilled in a cooler.

Its bright, bold flavours of fresh coriander, rice wine vinegar, Sichuan pepper, chilli and loads of crunchy vegetables and peanuts ensure its status as a summer-long favourite.

Ingredients

2 large carrots, peeled and julienned
125g snowpeas, topped and tailed
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 500g total)
2 Lebanese cucumbers, julienned
1 cup chopped coriander
5 spring onions, thinly sliced
40g roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

FOR THE sichuan CHILLI VINAIGRETTE

80ml neutral oil (grapeseed or avocado)
2 small-medium garlic cloves, peeled and grated
2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 tbsp Korean chilli flakes
10 Sichuan peppercorns, crushed to a powder in a mortar and pestle
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
20ml soy sauce
50ml rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 chicken stock cube

Method

Step 1
Heat a medium-sized pot of water over a high flame and bring it to the boil. Season well with salt. Set a bowl of iced water nearby. Blanch the julienned carrots in the hot water for 30 seconds and then plunge them into ice water; do the same with the snowpeas.
Step 2
Drain the vegetables from the iced water but leave the pot of water on the stove and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook the chicken breasts in the barely simmering water for about 15-25 minutes, depending on size, or until an internal thermometer reads 65C, then remove from the water and allow to cool.
Step 3
Julienne the snowpeas and shred the cooled chicken. Combine in a large salad bowl with the carrot, cucumber, coriander and spring onion.
Step 4
To make the vinaigrette, heat the oil over medium heat until hot. In a small, heat-safe bowl, combine the garlic, ginger, chilli flakes and Sichuan pepper. Pour the hot oil over the spice mixture and watch it sizzle.
Step 5
When it has stopped sizzling, stir in the sesame oil, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sugar and crumbled stock cube. Stir to mix and dissolve the sugar and stock cube.
Step 6
Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Toss to combine and serve in bowls or on a platter, or pack up for a picnic. Garnish salad with the toasted, chopped peanuts and serve the same day, keeping it chilled.