Ginger Chicken With Crisp Napa Salad
Published June 17, 2021

- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
- 4boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 ounces each), patted dry
- Kosher salt
- 2tablespoons finely grated ginger (from a 2-inch piece)
- 1garlic clove, finely grated
- ¼cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ½teaspoon ground cayenne
- 6tablespoons neutral oil, such as grape seed or canola
- 1lime
- ½small head napa cabbage, cut lengthwise (about 1 pound)
- 1seedless cucumber (Persian or English), thinly sliced
- ½cup sliced chives (½-inch lengths)
- ½cup mint leaves
- 2tablespoons rice vinegar, distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
Preparation
- Step 1
Place chicken breasts between two sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Using a rolling pin or a bottle, pound each to an even ½-inch thickness. Season both sides with salt.
- Step 2
In a small bowl, combine the ginger, garlic, cilantro, cayenne and 4 tablespoons oil. Finely grate the lime zest directly into the bowl; reserve the lime. Rub both sides of the chicken breasts with the marinade. Let sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes.
- Step 3
Meanwhile, cut the cabbage lengthwise, core it, then slice crosswise into ½-inch-thick strips. Transfer to a large bowl and toss in the cucumber slices, chives and mint leaves.
- Step 4
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in 1 tablespoon oil and heat until shimmering, about 1 minute. Place the chicken breasts in the skillet and cook, turning once, until golden brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Cut the reserved lime in half and squeeze the juice over the chicken; slice the chicken. Transfer the chicken to serving plates and slice.
- Step 5
Toss the cabbage mixture with the vinegar and remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Season to taste with salt and serve alongside the chicken.
Private Notes
Comments
I'm lazy. I keep tubes of "squirt" garlic, ginger, etc in my fridge. They are the culinary equivalents of post-it notes or velcro. I can't imagine life without them ...
Simple but delicious. I added some sesame oil to the salad as well as a diced avocado. Next time I will up the spice on the dressing by adding some grated ginger, soy sauce and fish sauce. Quick easy dinner.
This was yummy! I made a little extra marinade which meant there was a lot of delicious sauce left in the pan when the chicken was done. I put the sauce with the cut chicken in a serving bowl and spooned it OVER the cabbage salad. Delightful combination of flavors and textures.
A nice combo. Didn’t blow me away, but I’d make it again. Cilantro tastes like soap to me (apparently this is a genetic thing) so I used Italian parsley. Worked fine. Usually I love mint but didn’t like it in this salad. I added sesame oil, sliced grape tomatoes, avocado, and peanuts to this salad as others suggested. Really good.
Are you supposed to chop the mint leaves or leave them whole?
Used half a lime to deglaze the pan after cooking so that I could scrape up all the tasty brown bits and sauce, really added to the flavor. Great summer meal.