Ginger Chicken With Crisp Napa Salad
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 4boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 ounces each), patted dry
- Kosher salt
- 2tablespoons finely grated ginger (from a 2-inch piece)
- 1garlic clove, finely grated
- ¼cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ½teaspoon ground cayenne
- 6tablespoons neutral oil, such as grape seed or canola
- 1lime
- ½small head napa cabbage, cut lengthwise (about 1 pound)
- 1seedless cucumber (Persian or English), thinly sliced
- ½cup sliced chives (½-inch lengths)
- ½cup mint leaves
- 2tablespoons rice vinegar, distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
433 calories; 26 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 41 grams protein; 991 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Place chicken breasts between two sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Using a rolling pin or a bottle, pound each to an even ½-inch thickness. Season both sides with salt.
- Step 2
In a small bowl, combine the ginger, garlic, cilantro, cayenne and 4 tablespoons oil. Finely grate the lime zest directly into the bowl; reserve the lime. Rub both sides of the chicken breasts with the marinade. Let sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes.
- Step 3
Meanwhile, cut the cabbage lengthwise, core it, then slice crosswise into ½-inch-thick strips. Transfer to a large bowl and toss in the cucumber slices, chives and mint leaves.
- Step 4
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in 1 tablespoon oil and heat until shimmering, about 1 minute. Place the chicken breasts in the skillet and cook, turning once, until golden brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Cut the reserved lime in half and squeeze the juice over the chicken; slice the chicken. Transfer the chicken to serving plates and slice.
- Step 5
Toss the cabbage mixture with the vinegar and remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Season to taste with salt and serve alongside the chicken.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Bicka
Simple but delicious. I added some sesame oil to the salad as well as a diced avocado. Next time I will up the spice on the dressing by adding some grated ginger, soy sauce and fish sauce. Quick easy dinner.
D.S.
I'm lazy. I keep tubes of "squirt" garlic, ginger, etc in my fridge. They are the culinary equivalents of post-it notes or velcro. I can't imagine life without them ...
Sharon
This was yummy! I made a little extra marinade which meant there was a lot of delicious sauce left in the pan when the chicken was done. I put the sauce with the cut chicken in a serving bowl and spooned it OVER the cabbage salad. Delightful combination of flavors and textures.
Janet
Adapted (because it's what I had hand): chicken thighs for the pounded breasts and Thai basil for the cilantro. And standard cabbage for the napa. Smeared the whole chicken thighs with the marinade, oven-roasted until done. Easy and delicious on a hot summer night.
Martha
The marinade for the chicken is terrific. Made it exactly as written. The cayenne makes it unusual and very good. The salad is clean and fresh-tasting (I also added a bit of sesame oil) but I will add something more to it next time — maybe peanuts.
Sophie
Really loved this chicken for an easy weeknight meal. I halved the cayenne and it was still well spiced for me. I ended up eating over some soba noodles with Szechuan chili oil and scallions. Yum!
Bernice Glenn
I enjoyed this combination of chicken with salad. However, like so many people worldwide, I have extensive food allergies that force me to make recipes adjustments. So, replaced the napa cabbage with regular cabbage... satisfying, but not as tender as the napa cabbage. Tip for keeping cucumbers from going soft after a couple of days despite refrigeration: Wipe the cuke dry, and wrap it around with kitchen paper. Then cover it tightly with plastic wrap.
Ellen
I added sesame oil the vinaigrette as others suggested, some grated ginger, and I also added about a teaspoon of honey which emulsified everything. To the salad I added some sliced radishes, toasted peanuts and a little red onion. It turned out great, but I’ll definitely add avocado next time. The chicken itself was delicious and the only change I made was the addition of some salt/pepper.
Karin
-halved the cayenne and it was still well spiced for me. I ended up eating over some soba noodles with Szechuan chili oil and scallions. -The salad is clean and fresh-tasting (I also added a bit of sesame oil) but I will add something more to it next time — maybe peanuts. -Simple,delicious. Added some sesame oil to the salad as well as a diced avocado. Next time might add some grated ginger, soy sauce and fish sauce -I marinated this as written and grilled the chicken!
Elise
Lovely light summer recipe! I added some sliced pickled ginger left over from sushi, and a few splashes of Vietnamese fish sauce to the slaw to make the flavors pop.
Ellie Jones
I agree! The ones I'm finding are huge. There's no way to pound them to 1/2 inch thick without tearing, so I just slice them in half length-wise.
Linda Townshend
Loved this! My chicken breast was 11 oz. so I butterflied the thick part then pounded it between parchment. Salted, then spread the full recipe of marinade between breast & parchment. Rested 10 minutes. Sautéed as one piece. Sliced & served on platter w/half the lime juice directly on the chicken and half mixed in with the pan drippings for additional sauce. Even though I used half the amount of chicken & the full amount of marinade, the spice was perfect for us. Loved the salad as written.
rachel
the only cooking surface I have right now is a grill, so I marinated this as written and grilled on medium heat, ten minutes each side. it was incredible! did as others suggested and added some soy sauce and sesame oil to the dressing for the salad. really refreshing
ms
Simple but delicious. I added some sesame oil to the salad as well as a diced avocado. Next time I will up the spice on the dressing by adding some grated ginger, soy sauce and fish sauce
John P
This is delicious and summery. The grocery store didn’t have chives, so I substituted scallion greens. I served with room temperature soba noodles tossed with sesame oil, with the scallion whites tossed in for good measure.
Zabby
Used rotisserie chicken but still marinated it. Added sliced radishes, peppers and a dribble of fish sauce. Fabulous!
Ashley
This chicken was so tender & delicious! Next time I will pour the remaining chicken pan juices over the Napa cabbage salad (which was the only element that could have used a bit more oomph). Served with white rice.
An excellent combination…
I think a longer marinade would yield deeper flavor. Mine went at least 40 minutes but next time, I may go much longer. If you have thick chicken breasts another minute per side is in order even after the thorough pounding. Mixed Sunflower and Sesame oils with rice vinegar for the dressing.
Rhiannon
Taking inspiration J Kenzi Lopez-Alt, I subbed the oil in the marinade for mayonnaise, which helps the marinade to adhere to the chicken and browns nicely. I also added crispy shallots to the salad for additional crunch. It was delicious.
Jaci
Delicious!! I sped everything up by making the marinade in my mini food processor and used parsley instead of cilantro. (We’re an anti-cilantro household). The marinade wasn’t as finally chopped as the recipe calls for but it worked great and saves time! Made everything else as detailed and loved it! Cooking time on chicken is spot on if the cutlets are equal thickness. One was a touch thicker so I cooked an extra minute on each side. Next time I’ll marinate overnight and maybe grill instead!
chiara
Maybe one of the best things I’ve ever made from nut recipes. I love a good chicken recipe and the flavors in this one really came together for me. I used almond oil as my “neutral oil” I also broiled the breasts for 5 ish mins to get a crispy finish. I loved the suggestion of adding avocado to the salad. Will make as a staple in my rotation of meals. Bursting with flavor and I love seeing all the green on my plate!!
Sue W.
Excellent with a few tweaks. No napa cabbage in my local grocery store so I used romaine. Really upped the cilantro so not to have the rest wilt away. Quick easy and tasty. Next time I'll just grill the chicken on the BBQ.
phoebe
The first time I made this I was a little underwhelmed but sensed a lot of potential for my salt/spice-obsessed palette. Second time around I swapped salt for soy sauce in the chicken marinade. Added whole scallions to the cast iron w the chicken, charred them nicely, chopped up, and added to salad. Squeezed lime over salad instead of the oil/vin combo. Served w buttered sesame rice. Drizzled gojuchang mayo over everything. Delicious mods if you’re looking for something more indulgent!
Annie
Infinitely better the next day when flavors meld, was pretty disappointed night of cooking even with adding extras (salad definitely needs sesame oil, soy sauce etc to make it flavorful). Easy enough though, so may try again for a quick weeknight dinner.
Hunter
Loved this! I added a bit of sumac to the marinade and sesame oil to the salad - very filling and delicious!
Carrie
This isn't like anything I would normally make; it was delicious. I will definitely make it again.
Laura S.
For those wondering what to add to the salad, thin slices of fuyu persimmons or honey crisp apples pair fabulously!
andrea
I have made this every week during the summer. I do add a little more to the dressing but it truly amazing. Do not skip the peanuts.
Betsy M.
The salad is very bland. Adjust as others have.
Bethany Chance
Can powdered ginger be substituted? How much. Thank you
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