Sesame Chicken Chopped Salad

The Lowcountry boil planning has begun — September, same as always, same as forever. This year I'm doing something different: I'm inviting Thomas. The widower from the cooking class, the man who made cobbler with his wife's nutmeg, the man who called me on Easter to say he made dressing for his family. Thomas has no church in Savannah — he moved here after his wife died, doesn't know many people. The boil will fix that. The boil fixes everything. You cannot eat shrimp with two hundred and sixty people and remain a stranger.

I also invited Mrs. Crawford. She's never been to the boil — in all the years I've been feeding her, she's never come to the church event. She said, "I'm not Baptist." I said, "Mrs. Crawford, the shrimp doesn't care about your denomination." She laughed. She's coming. She's bringing her cane and her appetite, and I will personally carry her plate because that woman has eaten my food for three years from an aluminum pan on her porch and she deserves to eat it at a table under the live oaks with two hundred other people who love good food.

Amara is asking about the boil. She's four in September and she has heard me talk about it enough to know it's important. She said, "Gah-gah, what's a boil?" I said, "A boil is when Granny cooks a lot of shrimp in a big pot and everyone comes and eats it." She said, "Can I help?" I said, "Yes, baby. You can help." She said, "Can I stir?" I said, "The pot is bigger than you." She said, "I'll grow."

She'll grow. They all grow. That's the whole point.

Made chicken and rice tonight. Simple, clean, the weeknight meal that doesn't ask for attention, just gratitude. Gratitude for the chicken and the rice and the evening and the fact that I am sixty-six and still planning Lowcountry boils and still inviting strangers to the table and still growing, same as Amara. I'll grow. We all will.

Now go on and feed somebody.

On the nights between the big plans — the boil organizing, the phone calls, the invitations — I need something that feeds me without demanding much in return. That’s what this sesame chicken chopped salad is: clean, bright, honest. It’s the kind of meal that reminds you that gratitude doesn’t require a hundred people under the live oaks. Sometimes it’s just you, a good bowl, and a Tuesday that went the way it was supposed to go.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon sesame oil
4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
2 cups shredded purple cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup edamame, shelled and thawed
1 cup mandarin orange segments, drained
1/2 cup sliced scallions
1/3 cup chopped roasted peanuts or cashews
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
For the dressing:
3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon peanut butter (smooth)
1–2 teaspoons sriracha, to taste

Instructions

Cook the chicken. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat sesame oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken 5–6 minutes per side until cooked through and golden. Let rest 5 minutes, then slice or chop into bite-sized pieces.
Make the dressing. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey, ginger, garlic, peanut butter, and sriracha until smooth and emulsified. Taste and adjust heat or sweetness as needed.
Build the salad base. In a large bowl, combine the romaine, purple cabbage, carrots, edamame, mandarin oranges, and scallions. Toss gently to mix.
Add the chicken. Arrange the chopped chicken over the top of the salad base.
Dress and finish. Drizzle the sesame dressing over the salad. Top with peanuts and toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately, or keep dressing on the side if making ahead.

Nutrition (per serving)

Sesame Chicken Chopped Salad — The Weeknight Meal That Asks Only for Gratitude