rainbow chicken chop

with ginger chili crisp dressing (!!!)

Jillian (my righthand woman who helps me run things around here and who is also a dear friend) hosted Salad Club this past Wednesday and served what we unanimously agreed was the Best Meal in Salad Club History.

It was FREEZING (for Carmel Valley — aka probably 55 degrees lol) so she kicked lunch off by warming us up with Samusa Soup. It was incredible — hearty and warm, with flavors that I’ve never before had in a soup. Note: She used lime juice in place of the tamarind water and it was excellent.

Then it was salad time. Oh. My. Gosh. This salad. First of all, STUNNING. Gorgeous! Secondly, do you know how amazing it is to pack this much nutrient diversity into one meal?! Eating the rainbow is not just beautiful, it’s so, so good for your gut and your brain and your entire body. Jillian topped our salads off with an absolutely perfect honey-ginger salmon for a 10/10 meal top to bottom.

I knew immediately that I had to share the salad with you, but, in order to keep it safely within the “I don’t feel like cooking” zone, I swapped the salmon out for rotisserie chicken meat. The result? Rainbow Chicken Chop with Ginger Chili Crisp Dressing! This is an *I would-pay-$25-for-that-at-a-restaurant* meal and I can’t wait for you to make it.

How many of you can instantly tell what Audiobook I was listening to while I recorded this…?!

If you just thought, “But wait, the honey-ginger salmon sounds amazing and I need to make it!” then, lucky you — Jillian wrote the recipe out for us! If you have the time and energy to swing it, it’s amazing in place of the chicken here. Or, save this honey-ginger salmon recipe for another night — it would be delish with your favorite grain and a simple side salad, or with a side of roasted vegetables.

Honey-Ginger Salmon:

• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise

• 2 garlic cloves, grated or minced

• 2-inch piece fresh ginger, grated or minced

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 4 (6-ounce) salmon filets (I prefer farmed, it’s fattier and less “fishy” tasting, but you do you!)

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, 2 minced garlic cloves, a minced 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt to make the glaze for the salmon.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, place 4 (6-ounce) salmon filets on top, and evenly coat the top of the salmon with the glaze.

Bake until the salmon flakes easily with a fork, turns light pink throughout, or reaches 125 to 130°F for medium, about 12-17 minutes*.

*Wild will take closer to 12, farmed will take closer to 15-17.

The best part about this rainbow chicken chop? Like my lemon-parm chicken, quinoa, and kale salad, the rainbow chop is good for up to 5 days, making it a perfect meal prep recipe to set yourself up with healthy lunches for the week. I portion it out in my fave containers.

This is a no-cook recipe, but there is definitely a lot of chopping involved, which I know many of you hate! So here are two ways to make it easier, if you’re not in the mood to chop:

1. Use your food processor. Working with each ingredient individually, cut it into big pieces, chop it in the food processor — make sure not to purée it! — and add it to a big mixing bowl. Repeat with each ingredient.

2. Use pre-shredded ingredients. Combine 2 bags shredded cabbage (ideally one purple and one green) 1 (10-ounce) bag shredded kale, 1 bag shredded carrots, 1 crushed bag ramen, 1/2 cup cashews, and 1 shredded rotisserie chicken breast with your desired amount of this dressing OR swap in a store-bought sesame-ginger dressing (here’s a good one). No chopping necessary. Delish.

My kids got chopped rotisserie chicken with ketchup for dipping (duh), cucumbers, carrots, and cashews. Deconstructing salads for kids is such a great way for the whole family to, sort of, eat the same thing and allow you to eat a salad for dinner without having to cook something separate for them. Or, cook them one of my no-fail kid dinners — click here for the list — and make this salad for yourself! You deserve it!

We’re amassing quite the collection of restaurant-worthy full-meal salads here at What to Cook! Here are a few more oldies but goodies from the archive (pictured above from left to right).

• mob wife salad

• thai-ish steak & noodle salad

• mango peanut chicken salad

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Jillian’s rainbow chop also had kale in it! It was so good but I removed it because too many ingredients for a WTC recipe. But if you have kale, add it!

Serves 4

Prep time: 30-45 minutes (depends how quickly you chop!)

Tools:

• Large jar, or mixing bowl and whisk

• Chef’s knife

• Cutting board

• A large mixing or serving bowl like this

Ingredients:

For the salad:

• 1 small head of green cabbage, finely chopped

• 2 bell peppers (ideally 1 orange and 1 red), finely chopped

• 2 cooked chicken breasts (from a store-bought rotisserie chicken, or see notes for how to cook at home), finely chopped

• 1 small crown of broccoli, finely chopped (optional — I know many don’t love raw broccoli)

• 1 English cucumber, finely chopped

• 1 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

• 1 cup fresh mint, finely chopped

• 1 cup shredded carrots (buy a bag of shredded carrots or use a box grater to grate 1 large carrot)

• Big pinch(es) of kosher salt

• 1 cup cashews (buy Thai- or Asian-spiced cashews, if you can find them! or just regular roasted cashews), crunched up before adding

• 1 package ramen noodles, crunched up before adding (and seasoning packet discarded)

For the Ginger Chili Crisp Dressing:

• 1/2 cup sesame oil (ideally regular, but toasted also works — it will just have a stronger sesame flavor)

• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

• 1/4 cup honey

• 1 heaping tablespoon chili crisp (if you already have it!! if not, just add a big pinch/few grinds of black pepper)

• 2-inch piece fresh ginger, grated or minced

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• Optional: 1 small red onion, minced

Finely chop 1 small head green cabbage, 2 bell peppers, 2 cooked chicken breasts, 1 small crown of broccoli, 1 English cucumber, 1 cup of fresh cilantro, and 1 cup of fresh mint. If you didn’t buy shredded carrots, grate or finely chop 1 carrot.

Add everything to your largest mixing/serving bowl (if you bought pre-shredded carrots, add 1 cup shredded carrots to the bowl now too). Add a huge (!!) four-finger pinch of kosher salt, and toss to season all of the ingredients.

Add all dressing ingredients (1/2 cup sesame oil, 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar, 1/4 cup honey, 1 heaping tablespoon chili crisp OR a big pinch/few grinds of black pepper, a minced/grated 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, 2 minced garlic cloves, and 2 teaspoons kosher salt) to a jar, seal it tightly, and shake until well combined — so 30 seconds or so of hardcore shaking! If you don’t have a large jar, add the ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk together. If you like red onion, mince 1 red onion and add it to the jar (it’s not necessary for the dressing, this is just a great way to quick-pickle onion and take that harsh bite out!).

Pour 3/4ths of the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Add additional dressing as needed (I use it all!). Taste and season with additional kosher salt as needed (there are a LOT of raw vegetables in there — I needed to add several big pinches of salt to bring out all of their best flavors! Keep tasting between additional pinches until it’s perfect!)

Right before serving, crunch up 1 cup of cashews and 1 package of ramen noodles (discard the ramen seasoning packet or save it for another use). Add them to the salad and dig in!

*If you plan to have leftovers and eat this salad throughout the week, add the crunched up ramen and cashews to a storage container and sprinkle them on your bowl before serving each time.*

rainbow chicken chop

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link to printer version (notes, subs, and the salmon recipe are included here too!)

• Cook your own chicken: Use chicken breasts or thighs. Use the same honey-ginger glaze that Jillian did for the salmon (find that recipe above the main recipe!), then roast for 12 to 17 minutes or until 160°F internally for boneless skinless chicken breasts (let them sit for a few minutes after baking before you chop them — the internal temp will keep climbing), or for about 25 minutes for boneless skinless thighs, until 165°F internally.

• Feeding kids: See my recs for this above the recipe!

• Vegetarian: Crispy tofu cubes coated in Jillian’s honey-ginger glaze would be so so good. Grab a block of extra-firm (or firm) tofu and gently press the excess moisture out. Slice the block into even bite-sized cubes then set the cubes between dry paper towels or clean dishcloths for about 10 minutes (add a cast-iron skillet on top!) to drain more moisture out. Once you’ve pressed them, add them to a bowl along with oil (sesame oil or a neutral oil), a drizzle of soy sauce, and a teaspoon of cornstarch or arrowroot powder (that will help the flavors adhere to the tofu). Spread the cubes out on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 425°F for 30-ish minutes, or until crisp. Once they’re crispy, toss them in the glaze. Yum! A can of drained and rinsed chickpeas, or 1 to 2 cups of cooked shelled edamame would be other good plant-based protein options.

• Prep ahead/make ahead/love your leftovers: Prep the dressing and store it in the jar in the fridge. Chop all the ingredients earlier in the day and store them in the serving bowl covered with foil or plastic wrap. When it’s time for dinner, dress the salad, add the crunchy ingredients, and serve! Because we’re using cabbage and other hearty vegetables here, you can store leftovers of the dressed salad in the fridge for up to 4 days. The vegetables will soften a little they sit but I don’t mind it at all!! If it bugs you, only dress the portion you’re about to eat. Also, if you plan to have leftovers, add the crunchy ingredients right before you plan to eat each serving.

• I prepped my dressing ahead of time, stored it in the fridge, and now it’s weird and chunky: All you need to do is let it warm to room temp then shake it again to re-emulsify (aka combine) everything! If you want to speed up the process you could microwave it for a few seconds, run it under hot water, stick it in the waistband of your pants (a la how we soften butter!) or add a few splashes of warm water. The oil in chili crisp may solidify when stored in the fridge too!

• Save time: See the “make it easier” note above the recipe for tips.

• What’s a “four-finger pinch” of salt? This means you’re picking up salt using your thumb and all four fingers. So a real big pinch!

• Salad bowl rec? I love the XL serving bowl from Quince. The splatterware-style bowl in the video and pics was a gift, here’s a similar one!

• Dairy-free/gluten-free: It’s already df and leave out the ramen to make it gf!

• Sesame oil: Again, either regular or toasted sesame oil works (if you have an option, go with regular). Or you could use a neutral oil like avocado, or olive oil if it’s all you’ve got.

• Rice wine vinegar: Yes, rice vinegar is interchangeable here. Lime juice or another light-colored vinegar like white wine or apple cider vinegar

• Honey: Maple syrup or brown sugar

• Chili crisp: A few grinds/a big pinch of black pepper

• Fresh ginger: 2 frozen ginger cubes, thawed, or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (though I much prefer fresh or frozen here)

• Garlic cloves: 2 frozen ginger cubes, thawed, or 1/4 teaspoon ground garlic

• Kosher salt: Sea salt, but start with about half as much, adding more if needed. As a reminder, we never use table salt when we’re cooking!

• Red onion: Again, this is optional, but you could also use a small yellow onion or a shallot.

• Small green cabbage: Another small cabbage (red/purple, napa, or savoy), 2 bunches of lacinato kale, or 2 heads of romaine or butter lettuce (though leftovers will get soggy if you use lettuce!)

• Bell peppers: Any color bell peppers you can find. If you have a bag of baby bell peppers, use 8 of them. If you aren’t into bell pepper, you could double the carrot or cucumber, use some jicama, or swap in a pint of halved cherry tomatoes.

• Rotisserie chicken breasts: Salmon (there’s a salmon recipe above the salad recipe!), tofu (see “vegetarian” note), or cook your own chicken (see the notes section above for a how to). Grilled shrimp would be great here.

• Broccoli: Broccolini, cauliflower, 2 big handfuls of chopped kale or thinly shaved Brussels sprouts

• English cucumber: English cucumbers are my fave because they are seedless but you can sub in a regular cucumber or 2 to 3 Persian (mini) cucumbers. You could also swap cucumber out for a pint of halved cherry tomatoes, another bell pepper, or just omit it.

• Cilantro: Basil, or double the mint

• Mint: Basil, or double the cilantro

• Carrots: Another crunchy veg like cauliflower or celery, or add another bell pepper.

• Cashews: Pretty much any other nut or seed — pistachios, pepitas, almonds, or peanuts would be my choice. Or omit and keep it nut/seed free!

• Ramen noodles: Chow mein noodles or wonton strips would give you a similar crunch. Or just omit!

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Editor: Molly Ramsey