Who doesn’t love all of the holiday goodies, rich treats, and party food that can go along with this time of year? I do, for sure! This year, I have the added fun of developing recipes just for my blog, so on a night when we might normally eat a nice bowl of soup and a salad, right now, we’re eating puff pastry squares and cookies. I find myself ready for a healthy post- a New Year’s resolution style-recipe before Christmas.
Last night, I caved. Salad for dinner is my absolute favorite- I am a California girl, after all. Since it’s cold, wet, and rainy, having a dinner salad can seem counter-intuitive, but with the right flavors and ingredients, it makes perfect sense.
When I called Joshua to ask if he wanted a big salad with some chicken thighs, he was so on board and just asked me to text him a list and he’d go pick up the ingredients. As I ran through options in my head, Thai Spicy Salad just popped in. Here’s how it goes:
- INGREDIENTS FOR THE CHICKEN
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ¼ cup tamari
- juice from 1 lime
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 1 inch piece of ginger finely grated
- 1 tbsp virgin coconut oil
- INGREDIENTS FOR THE DRESSING
- Handful of mint
- Handful of cilantro
- ½ jalapeño- seeds and ribs removed (or a small amount of Thai chilies if you have it)
- 1 lime, skin removed
- ¼ cup tamari
- 1 small clove of garlic
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp grapeseed oil
- INGREDIENTS FOR SALAD
- 4 cups salad greens
- ½ English cucumber very thinly sliced
- ¼ red onion very thinly sliced
- 2 carrots grated
- a few cilantro and mint leaves plucked from stems
- ½ cup peanuts roughly chopped (I used roasted unsalted)
- CHICKEN INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350º
- Pound chicken thighs with a meat mallet a few times. We’re not making cutlets, just flattening things out a bit and tenderizing the chicken so it soaks up the marinade a really well.
- Add chicken to marinade and allow to sit for 20 minutes
- Heat a grill pan on high until very hot then add ½ of the coconut oil- brushing it onto the high points of the grill pan as it melts
- Add chicken thighs to pan- being careful not to crowd the pan. Work in batches if you need to.
- Have another large (oven safe) skillet standing by- gently heat the rest of the coconut oil in this pan making sure it covers the bottom of the skillet. If you need a little more coconut oil, add a bit now, allow to melt then turn flame to low.
- Flip chicken thighs once after about 5 minutes. Gently lifting one corner of the thigh to make sure it lifts easily and is ready to flip. You should see some grill marks now.
- Cook on the other side for about 3 more minutes then add chicken and marinade to the larger skillet. Repeat for a second batch of chicken.
- Put large pan of chicken into 350º oven and cook until the internal temp reaches 160º. It should take just about 12-15 minutes depending on the thickness.
- Immediately, put chicken on a plate to rest and cool for about 10 minutes before slicing.
- Slice into even pieces and put them in the fridge to cool further if you like.
- DRESSING INSTRUCTIONS
- Add all dressing ingredients except the oil into the bowl of your food processor and process until lime and chili are fully incorporated.
- With the processor still running, drizzle in the oil to emulsify.
- SALAD INSTRUCTIONS
- Pile cucumber, carrots, and red onion atop the greens, then drizzle with the dressing. Add the chicken pieces, then sprinkle peanuts and finally add a few mint and cilantro leaves for garnish.
That looks absolutely outstanding!
We really enjoyed this- and I'm so glad I wrote it down- we'll be having this again soon!
This looks tasty! A nice change from the holiday fare for sure!
It was a nice break. Thank goodness for that.
mmm… I think I would like this salad!!! yummy!!!! (^_^)
I hope you do enjoy it.
X
S
This looks good as I am craving something that is not sweet after all the holiday food!
This looks amazing. After all the holiday food I've been eating lately, I could really use a meal like this!
Thanks, I have a feeling that I'll be eating a LOT of salads after the crazy eating we did all holiday season!
I actually made a tuna salad yesterday for me and my husband. Holiday eating has made us crave lighter foods. I love the contrasting flavors in the dressing.
Oh good! I was beginning to think this was a vegetarian blog 😉 Looks delicious!!
No vegetarians here, but we do love our vegetables. 😉
looks great! http://www.iadorefood.com