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Chicken Salad with Hoisin Dressing

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on August 22, 2007

Time

1¼ hours

Yield

Serves 6

Chicken Salad with Hoisin Dressing

Ingredients

2 whole bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (large, at least 1 ½ pounds each)1 tablespoon vegetable oil Table salt

Hoisin Dressing

⅓ cup rice vinegar 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

For Salad

2 medium ribs celery, cut into small dice2 medium scallions, white and green parts, minced2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves or parsley leaves

Before You Begin

Try serving this salad on a bed of young spinach leaves with sliced cucumber and radishes or rolled in a flour tortilla with shredded iceberg lettuce or watercress.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Set breasts on small, foil-lined jelly roll pan. Brush with oil and sprinkle generously with salt. Roast until meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast registers 160 degrees, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool to room temperature, remove skin and bones, and shred meat into bite-sized pieces (about 5 cups). (Can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for 2 days.)
  2. For the dressing, whisk vinegar, soy, hoisin, and ginger together in small bowl; whisk in both oils and set aside.
  3. Mix remaining salad ingredients (including chicken) in large bowl. Add dressing; toss to coat. Serve. (Can be covered and refrigerated overnight.)
Chicken Salad with Hoisin Dressing

Chicken Salad with Hoisin Dressing

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

1¼ hours

Yield

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 whole bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (large, at least 1 ½ pounds each)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Table salt

Hoisin Dressing

⅓ cup rice vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

For Salad

2 medium ribs celery, cut into small dice
2 medium scallions, white and green parts, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves or parsley leaves

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

2 whole bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (large, at least 1 ½ pounds each)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Table salt

Hoisin Dressing

⅓ cup rice vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

For Salad

2 medium ribs celery, cut into small dice
2 medium scallions, white and green parts, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves or parsley leaves

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

2 whole bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (large, at least 1 ½ pounds each)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Table salt

Hoisin Dressing

⅓ cup rice vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

For Salad

2 medium ribs celery, cut into small dice
2 medium scallions, white and green parts, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves or parsley leaves

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

To perfect our chicken salad recipe so that our chicken actually tasted good, not bland or waterlogged, we tried wet cooking methods, including poaching and steaming, roasting in foil (which is similar to steaming), and, in a method new to us, dropping the chicken into simmering aromatic water and then removing the pot from the heat and letting the chicken and water cool to room temperature. Unfortunately, all four methods produced a bland, unmistakably boiled flavor. True roast chicken was another matter. Even after the flavorful skin and bones were removed, the meat tasted roasted, and the resulting chicken salad recipe was superb.

Before You Begin

Try serving this salad on a bed of young spinach leaves with sliced cucumber and radishes or rolled in a flour tortilla with shredded iceberg lettuce or watercress.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Set breasts on small, foil-lined jelly roll pan. Brush with oil and sprinkle generously with salt. Roast until meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast registers 160 degrees, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool to room temperature, remove skin and bones, and shred meat into bite-sized pieces (about 5 cups). (Can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for 2 days.)
  2. For the dressing, whisk vinegar, soy, hoisin, and ginger together in small bowl; whisk in both oils and set aside.
  3. Mix remaining salad ingredients (including chicken) in large bowl. Add dressing; toss to coat. Serve. (Can be covered and refrigerated overnight.)

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