Honey-Sesame Chicken Salad

I've been totally addicted to the combination of honey and sesame lately. The bitter-sweet combination of tahini paste and honey with apples, or on toast - or straight out of the jar. Crunchy almonds drizzled with honey and sprinkled with sesame seeds. The nutty-sweet sesame candies they sell in the Turkish supermarket. I can't get enough of the stuff.

Eventually, though, all the sweets and goodies had to give way to proper food. I started contemplating a honey-sesame treat that I wouldn't leave me worrying about my next trip to the dentist. And bingo! Inspiration came to me one day as I peered into my nearly empty fridge to find a head of napa cabbage and a lone chicken breast.

This salad is lightly sweet, nutty and mildly flavored, with a sharp kick from the ginger and pepper flakes. The Napa cabbage is a wonderful base - crisp, refreshing, and with none of the bitterness you get from lettuce. Combined with a light vinegar dressing, it's the perfect salad for a hot summer evening.




Honey-Sesame Chicken Salad for 2
I would use this marinade on damn near anything, given the chance. Tofu, veggies - you name it, it would probably taste good. I wasn't even hungry when I finished photographing everything, and I still couldn't resist snacking on a few morsels.

Ingredients:

1 Tbs light honey
1 tsp soy sauce
1 Tbs mild oil, like Canola
2 Tbs sesame seeds
1/2 in. cube ginger, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4-1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes


6 oz chicken, cut into bite-sized, thin strips
1 head Napa cabbage
1/4 yellow bell pepper
1/4 red bell pepper
1-2 spring onions

3 Tbs rice vinegar (or other mild vinegar)
2 tsp Canola or other mild oil
1/4 tsp salt
pinch black pepper

1. Preparing the Marinade
Mix the first 8 ingredients together in medium-sized bowl. Add the chicken and stir everything again until the chicken is well-coated. Pop this in the fridge to marinate for at least 20 minutes.

2. Cutting the Vegetables
Slice the cabbage as finely as you can. Don't chop it - you want long, thin strips of cabbage when you're done. I like to use the whole cabbage, from the tips down to the base. Slice the bell
peppers thinly, like matchsticks. Chop the spring onions, including the green stalks. Divide the cabbage between the serving bowls, making sure each bowl gets an even blend of the curly leaves and the crispy base pieces.

3. Cooking the Chicken
Heat your pan on high, with a little extra drizzle of oil to help prevent sticking. When it is nice and hot, toss in your chicken and start stirring. Turn the heat down to medium, and cook until the chicken is no longer pink inside. Divide the chicken between the two salads.
4. Making the Dressing and Finishing the Salad
Let the pan cool briefly, then pour the rice vinegar in. Stir the vinegar around the pan - you will see its color darken as it collects the accumulated seasonings from the chicken. Pour this into a small bowl, add the oil, salt, and pepper, and whisk briefly with a small whisk or fork. Drizzle this over the salads, and sprinkle the green onion and bell pepper pieces over the chicken. Toss on a few pinches of sesame seeds for the finishing touch.