Asian Chicken Salad with Ginger-Peanut Dressing

I love Asian slaw. First off, it is far less boring than your normal, run of the mill cole-slaw.  And second, it is a colorful, and very healthy meal with such amazing flavors that even my two year old will eat it.  With her hands, even.

Exhibit A:

I like to add shredded chicken to my cole-slaw which instantly turns it from a side dish into a meal.  And then I can dub it Asian Chicken Salad instead of Asian Slaw. 🙂

This meal comes together really quickly, especially if you utilize things like bagged coleslaw.  It’s basically just a little chopping and blending. Unfortunately, my grocery store was fresh out of bagged coleslaw, so I had to buy cabbage and carrots and shred it up in my food processor.  That’s why my salad looks a little purple. 😉  First world problems, right? 😉

Recipe adapted from Once Upon a Chef.  I left out the peanuts (didn’t want the calories) and added some chicken.

Enjoy.

Serves 6 as a side dish, or 3-4 as a dinner.

Ingredients

For the Dressing
¼ cup honey
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1 tablespoon peanut butter
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon Sriracha sauce (optional)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 large garlic clove, minced

For the Slaw
4 cups prepared shredded coleslaw
2 cups prepared shredded carrots (or grated in food processor)
1 red pepper, thinly sliced into bite size pieces
1 cup pre-cooked, shelled edamame (available fresh or frozen)
2 medium scallions, finely chopped
½ cup chopped salted peanuts (you can also leave them whole)
½ cup loosely packed chopped fresh cilantro
Two cooked, shredded chicken breasts

Directions

Cook the chicken breasts, and cool them and shred them.  I just toss mine with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and put them in a 425 degree oven for about 10 minutes until the juices run clear.  Then I cool and shred them.

Make the dressing by combining all ingredients in your blender or food processor. Measure carefully.  Set aside.

Combine all of the slaw ingredients in a large bowl. Add dressing and toss well. Let sit at least 10 minutes so vegetables have a chance to soak up the dressing. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.  Serve cold.