Asian Chicken Salad

You might know that I really love Mark Bittman's cooking style and recipes. I cook a lot of chicken on the grill, and I make it really really well. Whenever I make some just for myself, I end up with leftover, so I wanted a good chicken salad recipe. I searched to see if Bittman had one, and came up with this amazing Asian Chicken Salad dish!

Today I cooked chicken to make with this -- rather than use leftover -- and I made some tweaks to suit my tastes and ingredients. It turned out really really well, and I found it simple and easy to make. The man speaks my language. I almost always cook chicken thighs rather than breasts, and when I make my sauce I use a significant amount of sugar. Lo (and behold!) when I read his recipe, I saw this: "Boneless chicken thighs are preferable to breasts here; their flavor and texture are superior, and they remain moist during cooking. Unless you must omit sugar for health reasons, you should really include it here as it adds a certain roundness." Brilliant. Then I realized that I probably use thighs and make my chicken sauce with sugar because of Mark Bittman -- so he doesn't really speak my language; I speak his. תודה

Ingredients

homegrown stevia, natural sweetener

1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1/4 C. soy sauce

1 T. soy sauce

1.5 T. peanut butter

1 t. sesame oil

1 clove garlic, peeled

1 t. to 1 T. siracha or hot sauce

salt and pepper

1 t. stevia (or sugar)

1 T. vinegar

1 cucumber

1/4 minced cilantro leaves

Directions

0. Marinate

Cut the chicken pieces in halves or quarters -- but still big enough to cook on the grill. Marinate (in a bowl or plastic bag) chicken with 1/4 cup soy sauce for as long as desired (as short as a few minutes or as long as overnight).

1. Cook

Cook the chicken on the grill over low to medium heat, turning as necessary, for roughly 15 minutes. I like to cook on low for a while, then turn up the heat when it's almost done and get just a little char.

2. Sauce

In a blender (I use a magic bullet) combine the soy sauce, peanut butter, oil, garlic, hot sauce, salt, pepper, sweetener, and vinegar. Turn it on until it makes a nice, creamy sauce. Add some water or oil if too thick.

3. Combine

Cut up or shred the chicken and put in a bowl. Peel the cucumber, cut it in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and dice it. Mix diced cucumber with peanut butter sauce, pour over chicken, and toss. Sprinkle minced fresh cilantro over chicken salad and mix. Serve immediately or cold.

grill just ran out of gas, so had to cook the chicken on the stove ... disappointing I know