One of the April recipes to try for the Barefoot Bloggers  was the Barefoot Contessa’s Chinese Chicken Salad.  I know I know – it’s the end of the month but it is done.  I am regaining my cooking mojo and, thankfully, this recipe made me think quick on my feet.

I’ve noticed with the Food Network, sometimes it’s like recipe roulette  when they post the recipes.  As I was using my blackberry for cooking instructions, I didn’t have the ability to check the comments.  What I can say is that the dressing was WAY too salty.  I had to improvise and get something to counteract all the salt so I added more honey.  That seemed to help but it still was missing some “umph” so, spotting some limes nearby I added that and it “didn’t suck” as I so elequently put it.  It wasn’t super stellar either.   I’ll try it on my work guinea buddies tomorrow and see their opinion and report back.

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CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD

Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Parties!

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
• 1 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.

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