adapted from Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens
Sea salt, to taste
1 lb chicken breast, boneless and skinless
1 lb chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp wasabi powder
2 tbsp sour cream
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
black pepper to taste
3 tbsp chopped cilantro
3 tbsp chopped fresh mint (I left this out)
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion (I minced mine)
1/4 cup peanuts (I roughly chopped mine)
1/2 cup roughly chopped dried apricots (I left these out)
Napa cabbage leaves (I shredded mine)
1 tbsp black sesame seeds (I used a blend of black and regular sesame seeds that I had on hand)
Fill a 12 qt stock pot halfway with water and place on high heat. When it begins to simmer, add 3 tbsp of sea salt and allow it to dissolve. Remove any remaining fat from chicken. When the water comes to a boil, turn the heat slightly down. Gently place the breasts and thighs into the pot. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Remove with tongs, place into a bowl and cover with ice for 5 minutes. Remove ice, pat chicken dry and chop into fairly small pieces and toss into a mixing bowl.
Pour the rice wine vinegar into a blender and sprinkle the wasabi powder over it. Add the sour cream and pulse the mixture until smooth. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while blending at low speed. Add the soy sauce, ginger and garlic. Pulse to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add 1/4 cup of the dressing to the chopped chicken and toss to combine. Add the cilantro, onion, peanuts (and the mint and apricots if you wish. Again, I left them out.) Taste salad to see if you would like to add more dressing, salt or pepper. I used every bit of this yummy dressing and was begging for more! I'll make a larger batch of it next time.
The recipe says to place cabbage leaves on a platter and place the chicken on top. Cover and refrigerate until ready for use. Serve ice cold.
We put our salad on lightly toasted kaiser rolls with a bit of shredded cabbage and served with some kettle chips. I'm sure it's fantastic either way.
