Chinese Chicken Salad

Last weekend was the kind of weekend that summers in New York City are made of.  The weather was warm, everyone was out and about, and the city was buzzing.  These kinds of summer weekends are usually jam-packed with barbecues, rooftop parties, and picnics in the park.  They are the kinds of weekends that make me fall in love with the city I live in.

The weekend in question was a variation on those brilliant summer weekends.  Complete with a trip to Governors Island and a crawfish boil, this was the weekend to kick off all summer weekends to come.  And, being me, I started it all off by roasting a chicken.

I saw this technique in a post on The Kitchn.  The article immediately drew my attention for several reasons.  First, it made me giggle.  Second, what an innovative use of the bundt pan!  I had only ever made bundt cakes in my bundt pan, and I loved the idea of multiple usage for this usually singular kitchen tool.  Third, it just seemed like such an efficient and mess-free way to roast a chicken.  I mean, the chicken roasts just beautifully vertically, and it bastes any vegetables under it as it cooks.  All I had to do was throw the contraption into the oven, and an hour or so later, I had quite possibly the most perfect chicken I have ever roasted.  You just have to try it!  Maybe the next time you're in the mood for roasted chicken.

Or for some Chinese chicken salad.

Let me back up a bit.  On the Saturday of the previously mentioned glorious weekend, Brianna, a few of our friends, and I were slated to go to the free concert on Governors Island for the Yeasayer concert.  This being our first concert of the summer, I wanted to do things right, and maybe a little fancy, too.  I packed a small picnic of Chinese chicken salad, plus a vegan version of the salad, and a few sandwiches.  I filled my stainless steel water bottle with cold white wine, stuffed it all into my backpack with a few forks and a dish towel, and we all headed downtown to catch the ferry.

When we arrived at the Battery Maritime Building, we discovered that food and drink were not allowed. I watched in horror as the security guards took my Chinese chicken salad and tossed it into the trash barrel.  It was depressing.  Thankfully, they didn't even glance at my stainless steel water bottle.  As I clutched my wine and boarded the ferry, I mourned just a bit for my dearly departed picnic.  However, thanks to a friend who provided us with VIP passes to the concert, and to a few glugs of wine, my sorrow quickly faded.

The concert was amazing.  The view was incredible.  Our VIP passes didn't hurt either.  And, when we finally made it back home, I snacked on leftover Chinese chicken salad.  Not too shabby.

Not too shabby at all.

Chinese Chicken Salad

1 cup leftover cooked chicken, shredded

1 bunch spinach, roughly chopped

half of a small head of red cabbage, shredded

1/4 cup toasted almonds, roughly chopped

3 or 4 scallions, sliced

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

3 tablespoons sesame oil

In a large bowl, combine chicken, spinach, cabbage, and almonds.  In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar.  While whisking, incorporate sesame oil.  The mixture will not emulsify completely, but just enough to give you time to pour it over the salad and toss it all together.  Then you can pack it up for a picnic.  Just don't bring it to Governors Island.

For the vegan version, omit the chicken.  It still tastes pretty damn good!

But wait!  Before you go, some pictures from the crawfish boil at the Redhead from Sunday:

Thanks for sticking with me through this long post.  Hope you enjoyed it!