SHREDDED CHICKEN SALAD
A refreshing and hearty salad with some serious flavour. Either poach chicken or use rotisserie chicken if you're short on time.
Ingredients
For the poached chicken:
500mls chicken stock
2 stems lemongrass, bruised
2 slices ginger
3 kaffir lime leaves
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 skinless chicken breasts
For the dressing:
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
50g palm or brown sugar
1 red chilli, deseeded, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons fish sauce
For the salad:
¼ green or savoy cabbage, finely shredded
1 packet bean sprouts
½ cucumber, quartered lengthways, sliced on diagonal
1 carrot, peeled and julienned
2 spring onions, sliced on the diagonal
1 red chilli, finely sliced
1 cup roughly torn herbs such as mint, Vietnamese mint, Thai basil, coriander etc.
2 tablespoons roughly chopped roasted cashew nuts or peanuts
Method
For the poached chicken: Put all the ingredients except for the chicken, in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 mins to allow the flavours to infuse, then add the chicken
Simmer gently for 10-15 mins (depending on the size of your chicken) or until cooked through. Turn off the heat and allow the chicken to cool in the stock. This can be done the day before (if you have time)
For the dressing: Bring the vinegar, sugar and ¼ cup water to the boil in a saucepan, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Set aside to cool. Add the remaining ingredients then taste and adjust the amount of lime juice and fish sauce if necessary
For the salad: Shred the chicken meat and put into the bowl with cabbage, bean sprouts, cucumber, carrot, spring onions, red chilli and ¾ of the herbs. Toss with the dressing, put into a serving platter and top with the remaining herbs and nuts