Asian Style Pulled Chicken with Tatsoi Salad

I finally found the way to use the Tatsoi that I found at the Farmer's Market on Saturday, and it was awesome!  This green can be cooked or served raw (think Spinach, or baby bok choy).  The leaves have have a nice crunch and the flavor is fantastic, kind of spicy and earthy, but without any bitter notes. I'm definitely a fan of Tatsoi and am going to add this to my list of things to snatch up when they're in season.

After reading a lot about Tatsoi on the good ole interwebs, I decided that I wanted to do simple raw preparation of it, so I made a basic garden salad, and topped it with my ginger soy vinaigrette, a generous portion of sliced avocado, and some pulled chicken.  Having just returned from a business trip in North Carolina, I had pulled meat on my mind.  I decided to reinterpret pulled chicken and make it with an Asian flavor profile, and it was really tasty!  The hubs loved it and I'll definitely make it again (I think the chicken would be really great leftover and put into a wrap sandwich with lots of veggies).

All in all, the active prep time for this meal is pretty low, and it's a good 'man' salad when you add a big scoop of pulled chicken to the top. Hope you like it!

It's purdy, too

Asian Style Pulled Chicken:

• 2 T roasted peanut oil
• 1 tsp black sesame seeds
• Pinch of red pepper flake (optional)
• 2 large chicken breasts
• 3 T Soy Sauce
• 1/3 cup Aji Mirin Sweet Rice Wine
• 1/4 cup Dry White Wine
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Fresh ground black pepper

In a medium size sauce pan, add two chicken breasts (trimmed of fat and any ickiness) and cover with water.  Set over medium high heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and easily breaks apart with a fork.  Remove from water, and let cool slightly.

Once cool, use your fingers and a fork to shred the chicken.  Set aside.

In a sauté pan, heat the peanut oil over medium high heat.  Add the sesame seeds, garlic, and red pepper flake and cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until fragrant but not browned, stirring frequently. Add the ginger, and cook for 1 more minute.  Next, add the shredded chicken.  Immediately add the soy sauce and both wines.  Stir well to combine and turn heat to medium low.  Cover and let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove the cover, and turn heat to medium.  Let it cook until the majority of the liquid evaporates, stirring frequently.  Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary (you might want to add a little more soy sauce). When done, remove from heat.  Set aside so that it cools enough that won't wilt your salad when added to the top.  It's going to be sweet and savory and oh-so-tasty, with a good crunch from the sesame seeds.

Ginger Soy Vinaigrette dressing:

• 1/4 cup roasted peanut oil
• 2 T soy sauce
• 3 T rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp minced ginger
• 1/4 tsp roasted sesame oil
• Pinch of fresh ground black pepper
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

Put all ingredients in a jar and shake well until combined (if you don't have a jar handy, you could easily whisk this up in a bowl).  Let rest for at 15 minutes to let flavors marry, and shake well before dressing your salad.  This is great to make ahead.

For the Salad:

• 1 head of Tatsoi, leaves removed and large ones ripped into bite sized pieces
• 1 handful of baby spring mix or baby sinach
• 1 red bell pepper, julienned
• 1/4 red onion, shaved
• 1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 head broccoli, broken into small florets
• 1 avocado, sliced (I like to add this to the top of the salad once tossed and dressed)

I don't really need to put directions here - ya'll know how to make a salad I hope!