Asian Chicken Salad with Wasabi Dressing

By ngaldi

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (1 3/4 pounds)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons wasabi powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons water
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 heads Boston lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
• 1 large Asian pear—halved, cored and thinly sliced
• 1/2 seedless cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced on the bias
• 2 scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced
• 1 cup mung bean sprouts
• 1/2 cup roasted wasabi peas, coarsely chopped

Details

Servings 4
Cooking time 40mins
Adapted from foodandwine.com

Preparation

Step 1

In a large saucepan, cover the chicken breasts with water and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook over moderately low heat until the chicken is white throughout, about 12 minutes. Transfer the poached chicken breasts to a plate and let stand until cooled slightly, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise with the rice vinegar, wasabi powder, Asian sesame oil and 1 1/2 tablespoons of water and season with salt and pepper.

In a large serving bowl, toss the lettuce with the Asian pear slices, cucumber, scallions, bean sprouts and 2/3 cup of the wasabi dressing. Slice the chicken breasts crosswise 1/4 inch thick and lay the slices on top of the salad. Spoon the remaining wasabi dressing over the chicken breasts, sprinkle with the chopped wasabi peas and serve at once.