As summer draws to a close, and autumn approaches, I wanted to share a final salad and my favourite dressing from a series I have been working on over the past few weeks. Whilst it might be slightly colder, I think this salad is perfect even on the gloomier of days and also great for quick lunches when you’re pressed for time.
Sometimes, when I know I have a busy week ahead, I prefer to buy a rotisserie chicken and use it throughout the week in various recipes. Often this starts with salads and ends with a stock. For this salad, I used 1 chicken breast and it was enough for 2 of us. Simply cut off the chicken breast and use a fork to shred it into bitesize pieces and serve cold. If you prefer to have the chicken hot, you can reheat in a pan or the microwave, just ensure the chicken is piping hot before you serve!
I’m not usually one for using iceberg lettuce in my salads, as you have seen in my previous recipes. I often choose fresh spinach and combine with radicchio if I can get hold of it, but on this occasion, iceberg was the right choice. If you don’t have a salad spinner, I recommend getting hold of one, this means you can efficiently wash your salad and dry it off before adding to the salad bowl. Noone wants soggy salad leaves! Again, shred into bitesize pieces, you want to make this salad as fuss free as possible, and knives = fuss.
I love using a natural peanut butter! I find that using some of the more well-known peanut butter brands have a lot of sugar in them and are better in desserts rather than salad dressings! If you can get hold of a natural peanut butter then use that here! You might find that the peanut oil separates from the butter, just give it a stir to combine before scooping it out! Even though it is more bitter than the well-known brands, you will find that the honey adds the perfect amount of sweetness needed for this dressing. Balance that out with the lime juice, soy sauce and rice vinegar, you will be having a right old party! The dash of sesame oil just finishes it off for that flavour we are all so used to and love in Asian cuisine!
If you want to bring this salad to work, or to a picnic, simply prepare the salad itself, and then keep the dressing separate until you’re ready to dress! The quantity below is actually enough to dress a salad twice the size, but I like to keep some in my fridge to cover me for another day. It can stay in an air tight container or jar for up to a week!
Rotisserie Chicken Salad & Peanut Butter Dressing
2
servings10
minutes0
minutes10
minutesIngredients
1 Chicken breast
1/2 Iceberg lettuce, rinsed
1 Red pepper, sliced
1/2 Cucumber
Handful coleslaw mix
25 g Sweetcorn
50 g Cashews
- Peanut Butter Dressing
60 g Natural peanut butter
2 Tbsp Rice vinegar
1 Lime, juice
2 Tbsp Soy sauce
1/2 inch Ginger, grated
1 1 Garlic, grated
2 Tbsp Honey
1 Tsp Sesame oil
1/2 Tsp Sesame seeds (black & white toasted)
Directions
- Combine all the dressing ingredients in a bowl except for the sesame seeds, stir and check the seasoning. If needed, add an extra dash of lime! Set aside.
- Roughly tear up the iceberg lettuce and add to a large salad bowl along with the coleslaw mix if using, red pepper, and sweetcorn.
- Using a speed peeler, create ribbons from the cucumber and add to the salad. Top with cashew nuts.
- If serving immediately, drizzle over the dressing and sprinkle the sesame seeds, toss well and dig in! Otherwise, cover the salad and dressing and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
