CRISPY CHICKEN SALAD
Nutritious and satisfying, this Asian-inspired crispy chicken salad is a definite crowd pleaser.
The crispy chicken part of this salad is diced boneless chicken thighs tossed together with oyster sauce, Chinese 5 spice and rice flour, pan fried until golden and crisp. It’s a little like popcorn chicken, and very addictive!
Kale, carrot, capsicum and chilli form the base of the salad. Toss together with 2 minute noodles and a flavoursome dressing.
A sprinkle of cashews and a handful of coriander add the finishing touches. So yum!
CRISPY CHICKEN SALAD
After a nutritious, satisfying meal? You can’t go wrong with this crispy chicken salad. Noodles and veggies are tossed together with a flavoursome dressing, then topped with crispy five spice chicken. So yum!
Ingredients
DRESSING
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 1/2 Tbsp honey
- 1 1/2 Tbsp peanut oil
- 1 1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp crushed ginger
- 1 tsp sesame oil
SALAD
- 80 g kale leaves (2.8oz)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 carrot
- 1 red capsicum
- 1 red chilli (optional)
- 3 packets wholegrain 2 minute noodles (any flavour) (207g/7.3oz)
- 1/3 cup roasted, salted cashews (50g)
- 2 handfuls fresh coriander (optional)
CHICKEN
- 600 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs (1lb 5oz)
- 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp Chinese five spice
- 1/3 cup white or brown rice flour (40g)
- 1/4 cup peanut oil (60ml)
Instructions
MAKE DRESSING
Place all dressing ingredients in a jar and shake until well combined.
PREPARE SALAD
Roughly shred kale, drizzle with oil and season with a little salt and pepper. Massage the kale for about a minute (this helps make it tender). Julienne, grate or thinly slice the carrot. Slice capsicum into strips and slice the chilli into small rounds (remove and discard seeds). Place these ingredients in a large bowl.
COOK CHICKEN
Dice chicken into 2cm / 0.8in pieces and season with salt and pepper. Place in a clean resealable bag or container, add oyster sauce and Chinese five spice and shake to coat. Add rice flour and shake again.
Heat oil in a large frying pan on medium-high. The oil should just coat the base of the pan. Fry chicken (you will likely need to do this in two or three batches) until golden, crispy and cooked through (about 5 minutes). Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate or tray. Chicken can be kept warm in the oven at 100ºC (212ºF) fan bake while you cook the remaining batches.
COOK NOODLES FOR SALAD
When the last of the chicken is cooking, bring a large saucepan half full with water to the boil. Break the dried noodle cakes into quarters and add to saucepan. Boil for 2 minutes, until noodles are soft, then drain well. Discard the flavour sachets.
ASSEMBLE AND SERVE
Add noodles to the bowl of salad. Drizzle dressing over the top and toss to combine. Divide between individual serving bowls and top with chicken, cashews and coriander.
Recipe Notes
WINE MATCH: An off-dry Riesling.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: Use gluten-free soy sauce and oyster sauce. Swap wholegrain 2 minute noodles for instant rice noodles - follow instructions on packet to make, but discard flavour sachets.
INGREDIENT SWAPS / NOTES: Kale can be swapped for baby kale (skip the shredding, oiling and massaging step!). If you can’t find wholegrain 2 minute noodles, use regular 2 minute noodles.
STORING AND REHEATING: Store individual portions in containers in the fridge and reheat in the microwave. Alternatively, you can store dressing, salad, noodles and chicken separately. Noodles can be reheated by covering in boiling water - drain, then toss together with salad and dressing. To crisp up the chicken, reheat in a frying pan with a little oil or bake at 180ºC fan bake for about 10 minutes.
