NYTimes Recipes for Health and Chicken Salad

One of my favorite places to look for new, simple, healthful and often vegetarian recipes is the New York Times Recipes for Health section. Martha Rose Shulman takes an ingredient or theme and writes 5 recipes each week; they used to be published each day, Monday through Friday, but now they release all 5 at once. My favorite is the sweet potato section. I've posted several of these recipes on facebook, so you may have seen those.

This is the description of the recipe series from the website: "Each week this series will present recipes around a particular type of produce or a pantry item. This is food that is vibrant and light, full of nutrients but by no means ascetic, fun to cook and a pleasure to eat."

I have made this recipe a couple times, and I discovered that that it is actually necessary to use all the ingredients called for in the recipe, which is hard for me because I'm into omitting and substituting items all over the place.

Indonesian-Style Chicken Salad

This spicy, refreshing chicken salad makes a great summer meal. I love the flavor of the peanut butter in the dressing.

For the salad:

1 whole chicken breast or 2 boneless skinless breasts, poached and shredded (about 4 cups shredded chicken)

Salt and freshly ground pepper (optional)

1 bunch scallions, white part and green, thinly sliced

1/4 cup slivered fresh mint leaves

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 small red bell pepper, cut in thin strips

1 serrano pepper, finely chopped (seeded if desired)

2 cups mung bean sprouts or sunflower sprouts

1 romaine lettuce heart, leaves separated, washed and dried

1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts

For the dressing:

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon Southeast Asian fish sauce

Pinch of cayenne

2 tablespoons crunchy or smooth natural peanut butter (more to taste)

1/3 cup buttermilk

1. Place the chicken in a large bowl, and season with salt and pepper. Add the white part of the scallions, the mint, cilantro, red pepper, minced chile pepper and sprouts. Toss together.

2. Combine the lime juice, ginger, garlic, fish sauce and cayenne. Stir together. Add the peanut butter, and combine well. Whisk in the buttermilk. Taste and adjust seasonings.

3. Line a platter with the lettuce leaves. Toss the chicken mixture with the dressing, and arrange over the lettuce. Sprinkle the peanuts and the scallion greens over the top, and serve.

Yield: Serves four to six.

Advance preparation: The poached chicken breasts will keep for three days in the refrigerator. The dressing can be made several hours ahead.