Special Sesame Chicken Salad

Mid-April. I have a literary agent. The sentence is surreal. I, Jennifer Yuki Nakamura, divorced yoga teacher and food blogger, have a literary agent who is going to try to sell my book — the Fumiko book, the miso soup book, the internment book, the book I have been writing in the margins of my life for two years. The agent's name is Sarah and she is precise and enthusiastic and she talks about the book as if it already exists, as if the remaining chapters are just waiting to be written, and her certainty is either delusional or prophetic and I choose prophetic because the alternative is too frightening.

I made takenoko gohan — bamboo shoot rice — because April is bamboo shoot season and the farmers market had fresh shoots, still in their husks, earthy and sweet. Fumiko made bamboo shoot rice every April. The fresh shoots are sliced thin and cooked with the rice and a splash of dashi and soy sauce and the result is subtle and springlike and tastes like the forest floor in the best way possible. I wrote about it for the blog and the post was calm and seasonal and did not mention the agent or the book, because some things are too new to share, too fragile to expose to public air. The agent is a seedling. Seedlings need shade before they can handle sun.

Brian and I have settled into a co-parenting rhythm that is functional and increasingly comfortable. The handoffs are smooth. The text messages are logistical and friendly. The screaming argument in the parking lot has not been repeated and the not-repeating is its own form of progress. Brian asked about my writing last week — the first time he has asked about my writing in years — and I told him about the agent and he said, "That's really cool, Jen," and the response was genuine and uncomplicated and I realized, with a start, that Brian-the-ex is a better audience for my writing than Brian-the-husband ever was. The divorce freed something in both of us: my voice, and his ability to hear it.

Miya has a new word: "oishii." She uses it constantly now — after every meal, about every snack, sometimes about non-food items ("This crayon is oishii, mama," which is either synesthesia or a four-year-old's expansive definition of deliciousness). The word has settled into her vocabulary the way it settled into mine at her age: naturally, inevitably, the Japanese word finding its place inside the English sentence, refusing to be translated because it contains something "delicious" does not contain — gratitude, pleasure, the acknowledgment that someone made this food and the making was an act of love.

The takenoko gohan was its own quiet celebration — I made it for myself, for the season, for Fumiko’s memory — but on the days when I needed something I could share at the table with Miya without a long explanation, this sesame chicken salad was what I reached for. It has that same springlike quality: light but grounding, familiar but a little surprising, the kind of meal that feels earned. Miya declared it "oishii" before her fork even landed, which is the only review I need.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 cups shredded napa cabbage
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
1 cup mandarin orange segments (fresh or canned, drained)
1 cup crispy chow mein noodles (optional, for topping)
For the sesame dressing:
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons neutral oil (such as avocado or canola)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

Cook the chicken. Season chicken breasts lightly with salt and pepper. Poach in simmering water for 13—15 minutes until cooked through (internal temperature 165°F). Transfer to a plate and let rest 5 minutes, then shred or slice thin against the grain.
Make the dressing. Whisk together rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, ginger, garlic, neutral oil, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl until fully combined. Taste and adjust honey or vinegar to your liking.
Build the salad base. In a large bowl, toss together napa cabbage, red cabbage, and carrots. Add the green onions and cilantro and toss again.
Dress and toss. Drizzle about two-thirds of the dressing over the salad base and toss well to coat. Add the shredded chicken and mandarin orange segments and toss gently.
Finish and serve. Divide salad among bowls or plates. Top with toasted almonds, sesame seeds, and chow mein noodles if using. Drizzle remaining dressing over the top and serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Special Sesame Chicken Salad — The Springtime Bowl I Made While Holding a Secret