CHINESE CHICKEN WHOLE MEAL SALAD

 A WHOLE MEAL SALAD....

This sensational Asian-inspired salad is full of wonderful tastes and textures.  It's rice-based but studded with chunks of juicy savoury chicken, lots of vegetables, fruit and nuts. Served on a bed of lettuce, nothing else is required.  

Everything can be prepared in the cool of the evening and assembled the next day.  If you have less of one ingredient and more of another, there's no problem. Cooked vegetables can also be added; cold cauliflower florets or peas liven up the mix. Just taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

I have used brown rice (Foolproof Brown Rice)  but white is fine.  

Cost:  £5-7
Feeds: 4-6

Ingred: 
750 gm chicken thighs (about 7) or 2 chicken breasts in 1 cm slices
2 tbsp reduced salt soy sauce and 2 tbsp sherry, white wine or grape juice
200 gm/8 oz rice, uncooked
4-6 sticks of celery
1/2 tin bamboo shoots or water chestnuts (opt)
1 generous mugful tenderstem broccoli 
3 oranges, segmented (scroll down for method)
1/2 bunch green onions, finely chopped
Two handsful coarsely chopped salted cashews or peanuts (remove some salt and oil by rubbing with a paper napkin)
lettuce 

Dressing
80 ml/1/3 cup vegetable oil (groundnut or sunflower is good)
3 tbsp reduced-salt soy sauce
80 ml/1/3 cup orange juice
1-2 tbsp soft brown sugar  
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint or 1 tsp dried  
1 tbsp fresh finely grated ginger or 1 tsp dried   
a couple of finely grated garlic cloves
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

Method

1. Remove skin from chicken. Marinade in 2 tbsp reduced-salt soy sauce and 2 tbsp sherry, white wine or grape juice for 20 minutes. Drain. 
2. Bake at 180c/350f/gas4 for 20-25 mins or until done. If using using thighs, cool and shred.  
3. Cut the bottoms off broccoli stems and halve if necessary so spears are a similar size.  Cook in boiling water for 3 minutes then plunge into ice or very cold water.
4. Wash celery, peel the backs and chop into fine dice.  
5. If using bamboo shoots, slice into matchsticks.
6. Spring onions: remove floppy leaves; finely slice white and greens .   
7. See below for oranges.  
8. Put dressing ingredients in a jar, and with lid screwed on tight, shake vigorously till emulsified
9. Stir together rice, celery, spring onions, broccoli and bamboo shoots or water chestnuts 
10. Pour over 1/2 to 2/3 dressing to moisten.
11. Line a large platter with lettuce leaves.  Sprinkle a good layer of rice on top, leaving a green border
12. Sprinkle a third of the chicken over the rice.  Start building a rounded mound of salad.
13. Sprinkle chicken with half the oranges and nuts.  Add another layer of rice
14. Cover with a third of chicken and most of the remaining orange segments.  
15. Add another layer of rice; end with a layer of chicken, a few scattered orange segments and nuts. 
16. Chill until ready to serve with reserved dressing on the side.

Orange Segments

1. Slice off the tops and bottoms of the oranges.  The orange should  stand up on its own.
2. Using a sharp knife, remove the peel and pith by sliding the knife blade under the top of the peel and allowing the knife to follow the curve down to the bottom.  
3. Continue until the peel is gone.  Remove any strips of pith.  You should now have a whole, naked orange.   
4. Over a bowl to catch the drips, use your knife to slide between an orange segment and the segment skin.  Push down gently to the bottom of the segment then slip the knife under the other side, bringing it up and sliding the segment into the bowl.  Continue until all the segments are removed.  Squeeze the rest of the orange to get the juice.  
5. OR if you can't be bothered with 4, slice the naked orange into circles 1/2 cm thick.

Copyright: This recipe has been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.