Kung Pao Chicken Salad with Sichuan Dressing

Summer is salad season and if you are board with plain old lettuce, tomato and cucumber
salads with ranch dressing or italian dressing, etc., then try this salad inspired by the flavours of your favourite Chinese takeout dish, kung pao chicken. The salad itself is pretty simple with lettuce (I like to use kale sometimes), chicken, peppers, cucumbers, carrots, green onions and peanuts but it's the tasty dressing that really makes this salad shine! The sichuan flavour inspired dressing starts out with the usual suspects including rice vinegar, oil, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and some sesame oil for that amazing aroma.

Kung Pao Chicken Salad with Sichuan Dressing

A kung pao chicken inspired salad with a tasty, spicy and creamy dressing with sichuan Chinese style flavours including sichuan peppercorns.

ingredients

FOR THE SICHUAN DRESSING:

• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon black rice vinegar, aka Chinkiang or balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 teaspoon sichuan chili oil*
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic, grated
• 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon sesame paste or tahini or peanut butter

FOR THE SALAD:

• 6 cups salad green such as romaine, kale, etc, sliced
• 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or sliced
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 1 cucumber, sliced
• 2 carrots, julienned or sliced
• 1/4 cup peanuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup green onions, sliced

directions

FOR THE SICHUAN DRESSING:

1. Mix everything well.

FOR THE SALAD:

2. Toss everything with the dressing and enjoy!

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