Asian Grilled Chicken Salad for Two with Light Ginger Dressing
Asian Grilled Chicken Salad for Two with Light Ginger Garlic Dressing
Summer is almost over, but the grilling season is still in full swing! This salad with marinated chicken and chopped vegetables is sure to satisfy your taste buds and super simple to create! The dressing has just the right amount of zing too!
Asian Grilled Chicken Salad for Two with Light Ginger Garlic Dressing
Yield: 2 dinner portions
Ingredients:
Dressing:
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons ginger root, grated
1/3 cup olive oil
¼ cup water
½ cup rice wine vinegar
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup honey
¼ teaspoon Sriracha, to taste
Salad:
3 large radishes, sliced
6 – 7 slices of cucumber, chopped
½ cup baby carrots (~ 10 carrots) cut in thirds
10 – 12 pea pods, halved
3 small sweet red peppers, sliced (or ½ large pepper)
3 – 4 cups assorted salad greens
Two chicken breasts, 4 – 5 ounces each
Equipment needed:
Cutting board
Chef knife
Liquid measuring cup
Measuring spoons
Microplane grater
Small rubber spatula
Quart Mason jar
Salad spinner or large colander
Kitchen shears or scissors
Large mixing bowl or Salad spinner bowl
Small mixing bowl
Tongs or salad serving spoons
Dinner of grilled chicken and salad is the perfect recipe for a busy day. This recipe is super simple and ready in about 45 minutes. While you marinate the chicken, you prep the salad fixings, grill chicken and you are finished! Can double the salad ingredients for four diners or save some for tomorrow if you are eating alone. This meal is super healthy too! Loaded with vitamins, minerals, phyto-chemicals and a ton of natural fiber… Dinner at it’s best!
First step is to make your dressing so you can use it for marinate and allow the flavors to meld together as you make the rest of the meal. I like to use a mason jar to shake the dressing together. It is a cheap tool and then you can store the remainders in the refrigerator for later use. First you will need to mince the garlic and grate the ginger. I was on vacation and found this cool ceramic garlic grater at an evening street fair in Palm Springs. It is great for grating garlic or other foods/ spices that require being grated into a very fine texture. If you don’t have something like this, a microplane or fine grater works great too. Add both of these ingredients into the bottom of the jar.
Now it’s time to add all the liquid ingredients. I start with the olive oil as it will residue in the liquid measuring cup that can be rinsed out with the remaining liquids. Pour the oil, water, rice vinegar and soy sauce into the jar. Rice vinegar has a milder, almost sweet flavor than white or cider vinegar and is used in many Asian dishes. Worth the purchase and lasts a long time! Measure out the honey and use a rubber scraper to pour it into the jar. This will ensure you get close to every drop of sweet honey. Add the sriracha sauce last. I love the bit of zing it provides and if you prefer a spicier dressing more can be added to your taste. Place the jar lid on tight and shake well for a minute at least. The dressing will tend to separate as it sits awhile, but a little more agitation will mix it right up.
Place the chicken breasts in a small mixing or Pyrex bowl and pour about ½ cup of dressing over top. There should be just enough to cover the edges. Flip chicken over a few times while it marinates to ensure all of the chicken has had contact with the luscious flavors while you prep the salad veggies.
Cut all of your salad vegetables as shown above making sure pieces are not larger than ~ 1 inch. Remember meal appeal and smaller pieces will ensure every bite has a variety of flavors and colors. Place the greens in a salad spinner or large colander for washing and chopping.
Rinse lettuce and greens under cold running water for a minute, as you toss greens with your hands, to ensure all lettuce is washed. I even do this with my garden vegetables, even if I don’t use chemicals, as there is bound to be an earwig, bug or dirt from the last rainstorm in the leaves. After washing, use a pair of kitchen shears to chop up greens into smaller one to two inch pieces. Doesn’t need to be perfectly sized, but small enough to fit easily into your mouth. After leaves are cut spin lettuce in the salad spinner to release excess water. Too much water will dilute the dressing and make for a messier salad too. Without a spinner, toss greens onto a clean dishtowel and loosely wrap them up and shake lightly. This will help to absorb the excess liquid as well.
Before adding dressing to salad, grill marinated chicken breasts over medium high heat. Grill for 6 – 7 minutes per side depending on thickness of breasts. Due to honey in dressing, be careful not to allow meat to burn while cooking and turn and adjust heat as needed. Chicken will release easily from grill grates when meat is adequately seared. Chicken with lovely golden grill marks will add meal appeal to your finished salad too!
When chicken is on the last few minutes of grilling, place dried lettuce and greens in the bowl of the salad spinner (or large mixing bowl) and lay chopped vegetables on top of greens. Re-shake dressing and pour about 1/3 – 1/2 cup of dressing over top and using a salad server or tongs, toss dressing with greens until evenly coated. Adjust and add additional dressing to taste.
Divide greens between two dinner plates and place grilled chicken breast on top! Dinner is served! A glass of wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling makes an excellent accompaniment too! Enjoy!!