Asian Slaw & Chicken Bowls
Ingredients
Slaw:
1 small head napa cabbage, thinly sliced
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
3 persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
2 cups baby arugula
2 cups bean sprouts
1/4 fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
Chicken:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp avocado oil
Nước chấm:
1/2 cup lime juice, about 4 limes
5 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced or finely grated
2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced or finely grated
4 tbsp fish sauce, I love red boat
4 tbsp raw honey
3 tablespoons fresh jalapeño, minced
2 tbsp cilantro stems, minced
Method
Make the Nước chấm - In a small pot, combine the lime juice, vinegar, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, honey, and jalapeño. Place over medium-low heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 8 minutes before removing from the heat and stirring in the cilantro stems. Set aside, or if making ahead, allow it to cool completely before storing in an airtight container and placing in the fridge.
Cook the chicken - Remove the chicken from its packaging and pat it dry. Season both sides with salt. Place a large sauté pan over medium heat and allow it to come to temperature. After about 5 minutes, add the oil to the pan along with the chicken. Sear on one side for 8 minutes before flipping and searing on the other side for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until an internal temperature of 160°F is reached. Turn the heat off and allow the chicken to rest and cool while preparing the rest of the salad.
Prep the veg - Slice the head of cabbage in half, then cut out the core from the bottom. Place each half flat-side down on the board. Starting at the top, thinly slice all the way down until you reach the base where the pieces become very thick; discard this part and repeat with the other half. Slice the top off the pepper and twist out the core, then tap out any remaining seeds. Slice the pepper in half, press each half down flat, and thinly slice. Slice each end off the cucumbers, then cut them in half and thinly slice. Roughly chop the cilantro, mint, and basil. Add all the prepped veg to a large bowl along with the bean sprouts and arugula.
Serve - Thinly slice the chicken breast. To serve, dress the slaw with the nước chấm and toss to coat. Place a nice amount of the slaw into a bowl and top with some of the sliced chicken breast. Enjoy!
For meal prep - Divide the prepped slaw into 6 different containers and top with sliced chicken breast. Seal the containers and store them in the fridge. When you are ready to eat, simply dress with the nước chấm.
Notes
This is one of my favorite meals for dinner or even to prep for lunch. All the herbs mixed into the slaw make for the most refreshing dish. Enjoy with one!
