Special Thai Chicken Salad

Lemongrass can be found at Asian food stores or there's a product in your grocer's produce section called Gourmet Garden that comes in a tube. For a different taste, in place of the kaffir (or lime zest), substitute minced mint leaves.

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 -4  boneless chicken breasts or 4 -8  chicken thighs, cut into thick strips
•  salad greens, of any type mixed, romaine, etc
• 1⁄2 cup fresh basil (may use half basil half cilantro) or 1⁄2 cup fresh cilantro, lightly chopped (may use half basil half cilantro)

• Marinade for Chicken

• 4  tablespoons fish sauce
• 6  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  tablespoon  regular soy sauce
• 2  tablespoons lemons or 2  tablespoons lime juice
• 1  tablespoon fresh ground black pepper

• Salad Dressing

• 1⁄4 cup water
• 1  tablespoon  finely minced lemongrass (frozen or fresh)
• 1  kaffir lime leaf, cut into thin strips with scissors and discard stems (can sub about 1/4 teaspoon lime zest)
• 1  tablespoon fish sauce
• 3  tablespoons soy sauce
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  tablespoon brown sugar
• 2  tablespoons  freshly-squeezed lime juice
• 3  tablespoons  finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 -2  tsp.thai chili sauce (Sriracha) or 1  fresh red  chili, minced

Directions

1. Mix the marinade ingredients together in a cup except for the ground pepper. Slather over chicken, ensuring all parts are equally covered with marinade. Then press coursely-ground peppercorn all over the chicken's surface. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 10 to 15 minutes (or up to 24 hours).
2. If Using the Oven: Set oven to BROIL and place chicken on a broiling pan or a foil-lined baking sheet (turn out the sides of the foil to prevent juices from spilling into oven).
3. Place chicken on second-to-highest rung of your oven, allowing it to cook 5 minutes each side, then turning. Continue broiling and turning until cooked (chicken will be lightly charred around the edges). Use the leftover marinade to baste chicken the first time you turn it.
4. If Grilling the Chicken: Place chicken over a hot grill and cook until well done. Use leftover marinade to baste chicken when you turn it the first time.
5. While chicken is cooking, prepare the salad greens and dressing. To make the dressing: place water, lemongrass and lime leaf strips (or zest) in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute (this will soften the lemongrass and bring out the flavor of the lime leaf). Remove from heat.
6. Add the rest of the dressing ingredients and mix well.
7. Taste-test the dressing. It should be tangy - a balance of salty, sweet, spicy, and sour. Adjust it to your taste by adding more fish sauce if not salty enough, more lime juice if too salty or sweet, more sugar if too sour or more chili sauce if not spicy enough for your taste.
8. Toss the salad with the dressing. Portion out the salad among individual plates, and top with strips of the hot chicken. Sprinkle with fresh basil and coriander; serve immediately while chicken is still warm.