Barefoot Contessa Chinese Chicken Salad

Forgive this post with relatively few words....it's just one of those lazy Saturday mornings.  

I love this recipe from Barefoot Contessa Parties and not just because I love Barefoot Contessa so much.  Ok, maybe just a little because I love Barefoot Contessa so much.  But the recipe itself is easy,  refrigerates well, and is perfect for preparing ahead of time and for work lunches.  I usually add a full pound of asparagus since I love veggies, and I change the proportions in the dressing a bit--less sesame oil, less oil, more ginger and only natural PB  since the emulsifiers in regular PB makes dressings kind of  glumpy.  Yes glumpy.  The below proportions are what I use, but dressing is pretty flexible....change it up a bit to your preferences. 

Chinese Chicken Salad

adapted from Barefoot Contessa Parties

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts
• Olive Oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound asparagus, ends removed, and cut in thirds diagonally
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded
• 2 scallions (white and green parts), sliced diagonally
• 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, toasted

For the dressing:

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon peeled, grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
• 1/4 cup smooth natural peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub with the skin with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. 
3. Roast for 20- to 30 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
4. Remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and shred the chicken in large bite-sized pieces.
5. Blanch the asparagus in a pot of boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes until crisp-tender. 
6. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain. 
7. Cut the peppers in strips about the size of the asparagus pieces.
8. Combine the cut chicken, asparagus, and peppers in a large bowl.
9. Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the chicken and vegetables. 
10. Add the scallions and sesame seeds and season to taste. 
11. Serve room temperature (or even cold).