Oriental Spring Chicken Salad

Sometimes you ‘throw something’ together and it just turns out so well, you amaze yourself, and then you want to share with everyone… this is one of those times. Really nice, light in flavor but substantial enough to have as a dinner salad if you wish.

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

• For the chicken

• 1  whole boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1⁄4 cup soy sauce
• 3  slices gingerroot

• dressing

• 1⁄2 teaspoon  grated fresh ginger
•  zest of one orange
• 2  tablespoons  orange juice (squeezed from orange peel and pith)
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon sugar
• 3  tablespoons olive oil

• Salad

• 1⁄2 medium English cucumber, thinly sliced
• 4  asparagus spears, thinly sliced
• 2  scallions, sliced
• 3  stalks celery, thinly sliced
• 1⁄4 cup  loosely packed flat leaf parsley (stems removed, leaves only please)
• 1⁄4 cup  orange section (approx)
• 1⁄2 head romaine lettuce

Directions

1. Poach the chicken in water, soy and ginger until just done. Allow to cool as long as possible in the poaching liquid
2. slice cucumber into thin rounds or half moons (whichever you prefer)
3. very thinly slice asparagus at a wide angle or use a mandolin to shave long ways into very thin slices.
4. thinly slice celery
5. zest one orange into a small bowl.
6. Section the orange to make ‘supremes” over the bowl with the zest, allowing the juices to fall into the bowl with the zest, but setting aside the meat of the fruit.
7. (I peel the orange with a knife and squeeze out the peel over the bowl as well, wring out the membrane, get every bit of juice out of the ‘leftovers’).
8. either mince or grate about a half teaspoon of ginger into same bowl. Add vinegar a dash of salt and olive oil and whisk till well incorporated.
9. You can server this two ways.
10. Arranged salad: Lay washed trimmed romaine on a plate then each of the salad ingredients, sliced poached chicken and the top with some orange segments, extra parsley leaves and dressing.
11. OR you can cut the chicken into a small cube and toss everything together with the dressing and serve it over a bed of romaine.