Smoky chicken salad with roast peppers, shiitake and sugar snap peas
The marinating is very important here – it’s what gives the chicken its smoky taste – so do it overnight if you can. You can add to or change the vegetables: julienne of carrots, beansprouts and sliced radishes can replace the peppers and mushrooms if you want something lighter.
Ingrediënten
FOR THE MARINADE
- 3 tsp hoisin sauce
- 85 ml 2¾fl oz soy sauce
- 85 ml 2¾fl oz dry vermouth
- 85 ml 2¾fl oz orange juice
- ½ tsp five spice powder
- seeds from 2 cardamom pods crushed
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- strip of orange zest white pith removed
FOR THE SALAD
- 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
- 2 red peppers
- 1 tbsp olive oil plus more to brush
- 120 g 4¼oz sugar snap peas
- 16 shiitake mushrooms halved if large
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- good squeeze of lime juice to taste
- about ¼ tsp honey to taste
- 150 g 5½oz mixed salad leaves (I like baby spinach and mizuna)
- small bunch of coriander optional
- 3 tsp sesame seeds
Instructies
- Mix all the ingredients for the marinade together.
- Put the chicken in a dish and pour the marinade over.
- Cover with cling film and put in the fridge for a couple of hours, but ideally 24 hours; this really will improve the flavour.
- Bring it to room temperature before cooking.
- When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
- Halve and deseed the peppers and put them into a small roasting tin.
- Brush with a little of the regular oil and roast them in the hot oven for about 35 minutes, or until tender and blistered.
- (I have to admit I wouldn’t put the oven on just for these, but would cook other things at the same time, such as other roast vegetables for another meal.
- ) Once cooked, cut into slices lengthways.
- If it looks as though the skin is about to peel off you can remove it.
- Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t.
- Preheat the grill.
- Lift the chicken out of the marinade and put it on a foil-covered grill rack (the foil just really helps with the washing up).
- Cook under the hot grill for 12 minutes, six on each side, brushing every so often with the marinade.
- Cook the sugar snaps in boiling water for one minute, then drain and run cold water over them.
- Heat the 1 tbsp of regular oil in a frying pan and quickly sauté the shiitake mushrooms until they are golden.
- Reduce the marinade by boiling until it is syrupy.
- To make the dressing, mix 3 tbsp of the reduced marinade with the 3 tbsp of virgin oil, a good squeeze of lime juice and a little honey (both to taste).
- Slice the chicken – on the diagonal – and toss with the leaves, the warm dressing, strips of pepper, sugar snaps, shiitake and coriander (if using).
- Throw on the sesame seeds and serve.
