Grilled Chicken Salad with Thai Lime-Chile Vinaigrette
Entertain at a moment's notice with this versatile and easy salad recipe perfect for picnics and small gatherings.
Photo: Rob Tannenbaum
Appeared In
The Martha Stewart Show, April 2012
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup rice-wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons sambal paste
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- Juice of 4 large limes
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for frying noodles
- 2 red finger chiles, thinly sliced crosswise
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus 1 cup leaves
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 ounces cellophane noodles
- 1/4 pound snow peas, trimmed and strings removed
- 1/2 large green or red cabbage, very thinly sliced
- 2 carrots, shredded
- 1 English cucumber, sliced 1/4 inch thick on the bias
- 1/2 cup chopped salted peanuts
- 1/2 cup shredded fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup shredded fresh mint leaves
Directions
- Step 1Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Step 2In a medium bowl, mix together vinegar, fish sauce, sambal paste, soy sauce, sesame oil, and lime juice. Slowly whisk in 1/4 cup vegetable oil to emulsify. Stir in 1 slice red chile and 1/4 cup chopped cilantro; set vinaigrette aside.
- Step 3Heat a grill pan over high heat. Rub chicken with 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper. Place chicken on grill pan and cook, turning once, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a baking sheet; transfer to oven and bake until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool.
- Step 4Fill a medium saucepan with oil to a depth of 3 inches; heat oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 375 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Working in batches, add cellophane noodles to hot oil and cook until puffed, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to cool.
- Step 5Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Prepare an ice-water bath and set aside. Add snow peas to boiling water and cook until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain and transfer to ice-water bath until cooled. Drain and thinly slice on the bias.
- Step 6Arrange cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, noodles, and snow peas on a large platter. Slice cooled chicken and arrange over salad. Garnish with peanuts, basil, mint, and remaining slices of chile. Serve with vinaigrette.

What can I use in place of the fish oil and sambal paste?