Chicken and rice salad with poached radishes and nuoc cham
Discover a delightful combination of tender chicken, fluffy rice, and vibrant poached radishes, drizzled with a zesty nuoc cham dressing. Perfect for a refreshing and satisfying meal!
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon lime zest
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 garlic clove, sliced
- 2 red or green Thai chiles, halved lengthwise, and sliced into half moons
- 1 bunch radishes (about 12), cleaned, trimmed, and cut in quarters (or half if they're tiny)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 1/2 cups shredded chicken (sometimes I buy a rotisserie chicken for this very purpose)
- 1 cup cooked long-grain brown rice
- 2 cups watercress, baby kale, or other spicy green
- 1 cup chopped cilantro leaves and stems
Instructions:
- For preparing the nuoc cham, combine the sugar, fish sauce, lime zest, and lime juice in a jar, stirring with a fork or whisk until the sugar dissolves completely. Mix in the garlic, chilies, a bit of black pepper, and let it sit for approximately 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld (although you can use the nuoc cham immediately, the flavors will develop better over time). Taste the mixture and make adjustments as needed (if it's too sour, add more sugar). Store the nuoc cham in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- To create the salad, heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Place the radishes, cut side down, with a pinch of salt, and cook for 10 minutes until they become tender and lightly browned. Turn off the heat.
- Arrange the spicy greens on a platter or in a bowl.
- Pour 3 tablespoons of the nuoc cham into the skillet and mix it with the radishes. Then, add the chicken and brown rice and stir together. Transfer the mixture immediately onto the bed of greens, pouring any remaining nuoc cham over the top.
- Gently toss the salad to coat the leaves. If more dressing is needed, add additional nuoc cham. Sprinkle with cilantro leaves and stems before serving.
Summary:
- Calories: 1547 kcal
- Fat: 61 g
- Protein: 60 g
- Carbs: 192 g
- Potassium: 1878 mg
- Magnesium: 460 mg