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What's not to love about a cookbook called Big Salads? I can't remember how I first stumbled across Kat Mead's first cookbook, but it caught my attention enough for me to check it out of the library. The first salad I made from Big Salads was this one, Kat's Sticky Chile Chicken with Peanut Veggie Noodles. Caleb asked that it go into the regular rotation and I liked the salad so much I bought the cookbook immediately; three recipes policy notwithstanding.
You'll need to source a few ingredients that are harder to find and maybe more expensive than your average salad mix-in (I bought a jar of Makrut powder from the Savory Spice Shop back when I lived in Westfield that I'm still using, my single lemongrass stalk cost ~$2.50-3). Those ingredients are absolutely worth seeking out, but if you can't find them, just add a teaspoon of red or green curry paste to the dressing and the zest of one lime.
Kat's sticky chile chicken with peanut veggie noodles is everything I want to eat right now. It's light, colorful, full of tangy flavor, crunchy, satisfyingly filling without being indulgent, and keeps well enough to eat the leftovers for a couple days in a row. (Try to keep the components separate until you're ready to assemble a serving though, otherwise the nuts will get soggy and the veggies won't be as crisp).
The vegetable salad ingredients list should be viewed as something of a choose-your-own-adventure set. If you don't have one or more of the veggies, or don't like one or more of them, substitute for a veggie that you do have, or just increase the volume of the other veggies you'll be using to make up the lack.
Back in February, when people were still going out to eat, I ordered the lunch special "Mary's Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Salad" without the rice noodles. The waiter looked at me as though I'd lost my mind, and everyone else at the table thought I was hilarious/ridiculous, but I don't always feel like rice noodles bring something to the salad party. Some days, I can't each enough vermicelli bowl from Cafe Bunn Mi, other days, just veggies, protein, and punchy dressing are all I want.
Make this salad your own, it's flexible.
Loosely adapted from Big Salads.
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 3 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 3 cm (1 inch) ginger peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 stalk lemongrass outer layer removed, stalk smashed, then roughly chopped
- 2 leaves makrut lime stem removed and roughly chopped (or ~½ teaspoon makrut lime powder)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar
- 2 tablespoons chile flakes (I used 2 heaping tablespoons Korean chile flakes)*
- 8 chicken thighs skinless
Vegetable Salad
- 2 medium zucchini spiralized
- 1 English cucumber or 2 Persian cucumbers spiralized
- 3 carrots spiralized
- 1 red bell pepper julienned and slivers cut in half
- ⅓ small green cabbage shredded
- 150 grams (5½ oz) bean sprouts
- 100 grams (3½ oz) edamame beans
- 60 grams (2¼ oz; generous ⅓ cup) peanuts toasted and roughly chopped
Peanut Sauce
- 4 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (from about 2 limes)
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
to Serve
- small handful mint leaves
- small handful cilantro leaves
- lime wedges
- 250 grams (9 oz) rice noodles optional
Instructions
Chicken Marinade
- Peel and roughly chop the garlic, ginger, and lemongrass stalk; then add to the bowl of a small food processor. Remove the middle vein from the makrut lime leaves and roughly chop the leaves; then add to the bowl of a small food processor* (discard the tough vein). Add all the remaining ingredients for the marinade to the food processor and then blitz until they form a smooth thick sauce. Don't be lazy about this step, otherwise you'll end up eating rough pieces of something you'd rather not chew.
- Trim any excess fat from the chicken thighs and place them in a large tupperware or shallow dish. Pour the blended marinade over the chicken, turning the thighs to ensure they are fully coated. Cover the tupperware/dish with a tight-fitting lid or plastic wrap, then place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour, but ideally overnight for more flavorful chicken (I've gone up to 36 hours).
Salad Prep
- About 30-40 minutes* before you want to eat, start preparing the vegetables. Spiralize (or julienne) the zucchini, cucumber, and carrots, then julienne the red bell pepper (halving long pieces so they are closer to bite-size). Finely shred the cabbage, using your spiralizer, food processor, mandoline, or sharp kitchen knife. Again, halve any long shreds to facilitate eating. Add the zucchini, cucumber, and cabbage to a large colander, sprinkle with roughly 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and toss to distribute. Place over a bowl or the sink to enable drainage. Place the carrot and red pepper noodles into a large mixing bowl, then add the bean sprouts and edamame. Toss to mix together.
- If serving with rice noodles, cook your rice noodles according to the directions on the packet (e.g., soak in just boiled water for 3-4 minutes), then drain them into a colander and run them under cold water to halt the cooking process. Shake well to drain, then add to the bowl with the vegetables and toss to co-mingle the noodles and vegetables.
Grilled Chicken
- Remove the marinated chicken from the refrigerator and heat a grill pan, griddle, or non-stick frying pan over high heat (roughly 400°F). Working in two batches (unless you have a huge pan), place half the thighs into the pan along with half the marinade and sear for about 5 minutes. Don't move them during this time - you want to caramelize the marinade while lightly charring the exterior of the chicken. After five minutes, flip the thighs over onto the other side and continue cooking. The chicken thighs should be done after a total of 10-12 minutes (check with a thermapen). Transfer the cooked thighs to a cutting board and pour any juices into a small bowl. Repeat with the remaining uncooked thighs.
Peanut Sauce
- Add all the ingredients for the peanut sauce together in a small bowl and whisk well to combine. This will likely seem impossible at the outset, but have faith; the sauce actually comes together pretty quickly. Add the reserved chicken juices and whisk to combine.
Assembly
- After the cooked thighs have rested for ~5-10 minutes, slice them into bite-sized pieces. Add half the sliced thigh meat to the carrot+bell pepper+edamame+bean sprout mixing bowl together with the peanut sauce+pan juices and half the roasted, chopped peanuts. Blot the salted cucumber, zucchini, and cabbage to remove any undrained water, then add to the bowl. Toss everything to combine.
- Transfer the salad to a large serving platter, piling the remaining sliced chicken thighs across the middle. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped peanuts and the chopped mint+cilantro. Serve with little wedges of lime.
