This is my first week as a Barefoot Blogger and I have to admit it’s awfully nice. I mean, sure I have a rather singular devotion to the sugar food group but every so often a girl gets a hankerin’ for actual food too :) This week’s selection was chosen by McKenzie of the blog Kenzie’s Kitchen… and what a nice introduction it was to the group. Chicken… asparagus… red peppers… and a tangy asian-style dressing. Definitely a winning combo! As written, Ina’s recipe calls for baking the chicken breasts in the oven for 35-40 minutes. Luckily I had some leftover shredded chicken from another meal so I was able to cut out a substantial amount of time. And that was a good thing since I made this after getting home from yet another long, arduous day at the office. If you’re looking for a shortcut, consider buying a rotisserie chicken at the market and starting from there. Hey, when it comes to saving time while making dinner, it’s all good ;-)

While I’m not a huge fan of asparagus, I do eat it on occasion… though only the tips. Asparagus stalks tend to turn me off for some reason and it’s hard to justify paying $3.99/lb when I’ll not be eating 95% of the bunch. But for my innaugural Barefoot Boggers recipe I went ahead and ponied up for the fresh asparagus. I ate the tips while DH happily ate the rest of it :) This was my first time in blanching the asparagus… usually I roast it. I was pretty worried it would be too crunchy for me but I was pleasantly surprised by the texture. And the bright green color was just beautiful in the salad.

We enjoyed the chicken and the vegetables… and the dressing was tasty… but it had WAY too much salt in it. If I make this again I will most definitely omit the kosher salt completely. Other than that, the dressing was quite good – oil, apple-cider vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, garlic, ginger and peanut butter… quite delicious! There was quite a bit of dressing left over so I plan to toss it with the leftover chicken, veggies and spaghetti for a variation on the theme. I think it will make one delicious pasta salad!

Click here for the printable recipe

Chinese Chicken Salad

Ina Garten – The Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients

* 4 split chicken breasts (bone-in, skin-on)
* Good olive oil
* Kosher salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 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:

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

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub with the skin with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and shred the chicken in large bite-sized pieces.

Blanch the asparagus in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes until crisp-tender. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain. Cut the peppers in strips about the size of the asparagus pieces. Combine the cut chicken, asparagus, and peppers in a large bowl.

Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the chicken and vegetables. Add the scallions and sesame seeds and season to taste. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Thanks again to McKenzie for a this week’s selection.  If you have a moment, please check out the rest of the Barefoot Bloggers.

Have a delicious day!

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