Recipe: Chicken salad with Thai flavors

Dietitian's tip: This salad is a worthy centerpiece for a luncheon, but you can also serve it wrapped in whole-wheat tortillas or tucked inside warm pita bread. Try using all cabbage instead of the spinach mix.

 

Ingredients

Directions

In a large saucepan, combine the stock, lemongrass, ginger, halved green onion and cilantro sprigs. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the chicken breasts, raise the heat to high and return to a boil. Again reduce the heat to low and simmer the chicken for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and cover. Uncover after 5 minutes and allow the chicken to cool in the stock. Remove the chicken from the stock when cool enough to handle. Reserve the stock. Using your fingers, shred the chicken with the grain into strips about 1/2 inch thick and 2 inches long. Cover and refrigerate.

Strain the cooled stock and discard the solids. Return 1 1/2 cups of the stock to the saucepan; discard the remaining liquid. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, uncovered, until reduced to 1/2 cup, 5 to 6 minutes. Cool.

In a blender, combine the lime juice, vinegar, fish sauce, soy sauce, shallot, peanut butter, garlic and reduced stock. Blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil. The dressing will be somewhat thin. Set aside.

Remove the stems from the spinach and cut out the core from the cabbage. Stack the spinach and cabbage leaves separately and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips.

In a large bowl, toss together the spinach, cabbage, shredded chicken, carrot, chopped cilantro and sliced green onions. Pour half of the dressing over the salad. Divide the salad evenly among individual plates. Garnish with the peanuts. Pass the remaining dressing at the table.

Nutritional Analysis

(per serving)

Calories	368	Cholesterol	85 mg
Protein	39 g	Sodium	750 mg
Carbohydrate	14 g	Fiber	5 g
Total fat	17 g	Potassium	857 mg
Saturated fat	3 g	Calcium	105 mg
Monounsaturated fat	10 g

MAYO CLINIC HEALTHY WEIGHT PYRAMID SERVINGS

Vegetables	2
Protein and dairy	2
Fats	2

• Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid tool
• Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid: A sample menu

DIABETES MEAL PLAN EXCHANGES

Nonstarchy vegetables	2
Meat and meat substitutes	4
Fats	2

• Your diabetes diet: Exchange lists

DASH EATING PLAN SERVINGS

Vegetables	2
Meats, poultry and fish	4
Fats and oils	2

• DASH diet: Guide to recommended servings
• Sample menus for the DASH eating plan

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