Grilled Ginger Sesame Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

• Marinade and dressing:
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 Tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 large chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
• 1/4 cup red wine winegar
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions (white and green parts)
• Salad
• 1 lb Napa cabbage, very thinly sliced
• 2 carrots, grated
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2/3 cup freshly cut cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds, dry toasted
• 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds, toasted

Directions:

1. Whisk together the soy sauce, ginger, canola oil, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, sriracha, and salt to make the marinade. Put the two chicken breasts in a gallon sized zip-top bag and add 3-4 tablespoons of the marinade over the chicken. Reserve the rest of the marinade for the dressing. Squeeze the air out of the bag so that the marinade comes into contact with the meat. With a meat pounder (or heavy pan, or empty bottle), pound the breasts to a uniform thickness. This will allow them to cook evenly and also help tenderize the meat. Allow the flattened chicken breasts to marinade 30 minutes.
2. To the reserved marinade, add in the vinegar and green onions. Now we have the dressing.
3. To a hot grill pan (yes, an outdoor grill or 'regular' pan is fine), add the marinated chicken breasts. Cook them about 4 minutes per side or until there is no signs of pink and juice runs clear when pierced with a small, sharp knife. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and allow them to rest 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, you will cut them crosswise into 1/4" inch thick slices.
4. In a large bowl, add the cabbage, carrots, green onions, cilantro, half of the sesame seeds, and half the almonds. Add the chicken and mix together. Add just enough of the dressing to coat the salad lightly and toss together.
5. Distribute salads to 4-6 plates. Re-whisk the dressing and drizzle a little over each salad. Garnish with the remaining almonds and sesame seeds on each plate.

~Recipe from menumusing.blogspot.com

Easy Sesame Chicken

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• Chicken
• 1 large egg
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 pinch each salt & pepper
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil (for frying)
• Sauce
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp water
• 1/2 Tbs toasted sesame oil
• 1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• For Serving
• 4 cups cooked jasmine rice
• 2 whole green onions

Directions:

1. In a bowl, whisk the egg, 2 Tbsp cornstarch, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Trim any excess fat from the chicken thighs, then cut into small 1 inch pieces. Toss the chicken in the egg and cornstarch mixture.
2. Heat a large skillet with 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot (it should look wavy on the surface), add the chicken and all of the egg mixture. Cook the chicken, stirring only occasionally, until it is golden brown and cooked through (about 7-10 minutes). Drain off the excess oil, if desired.
3. While the chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce. In a small bowl stir together the soy sauce, water, sesame oil, brown sugar, rice vinegar, fresh ginger, minced garlic, cornstarch, and sesame seeds. (You can grate the ginger & garlic with a small-holed cheese grater).
4. When the chicken is cooked through and golden brown, pour the sauce over top. Toss the chicken to coat in the sauce. The sauce will begin to thicken as soon as it hits the hot skillet. Once the chicken is coated and the sauce thickened, turn off the heat.
5. Serve the chicken over a bed of rice and sprinkle the sliced green onions over top.

*I used chicken breast rather than thighs.

Recipe via budgetbytes.com