FoodWage
Lemongrass-Poached Chicken With Cabbage Slaw
This recipe takes the Americanized “Chinese chicken salad” and upgrades it with even more colorful crunchy vegetables, a generous amount of fresh herbs and an assertive ginger-lime dressing. The chicken breasts are poached in a simple bath of chicken stock and aromatics, but if you’re looking for added flavor then try swapping half of the broth for a can of light coconut milk. Either way, the leftover poaching liquid can be strained and re-used as a soup base: Add cooked rice noodles, bok choy, sliced mushrooms, fresh herbs, some lime juice and a hit of fish sauce. Voilà — one meal becomes two.
Ingredients for servings
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1 qt low-sodium chicken broth
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2 inch piece fresh ginger, scrubbed and sliced
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1 lemongrass stalk, inner white bulb only, halved lengthwise
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4 cloves garlic smashed and peeled
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2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
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2 tbsp lime juice freshly squeezed
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1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
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1 tbsp fish sauce
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1 tbsp brown sugar
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1 tbsp ginger peeled and minced
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1 large garlic clove minced
Chicken
Dressing
Directions
In a medium pot, combine the chicken broth, ginger, garlic and lemongrass. Bring to a gentle simmer over moderate heat. Add the chicken breasts, cover and reduce the heat to low.
Gently simmer, flipping once, until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the chicken breasts to a plate and let cool completely. Using two forks, shred the chicken.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk all of the dressing ingredients together, plus 2 tablespoons of water. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine all of the slaw ingredients. Add the shredded chicken and gently toss. Pour the dressing over the slaw and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Divide the slaw between four shallow bowls and garnish with chopped cashews or crispy shallots and sesame seeds. Serve with lime wedges.