Asian Kale Salad (inspired by Hillstone’s kale and rotisserie chicken salad)

Do you ever try something and instantly get hooked? Like have-to-have-it-every-night-for-a-week hooked? That’s how I felt when I tried Hillstone restaurant’s kale and rotisserie chicken salad for the first time last week. There is something about the crunchy kale and cabbage tossed in the roasted peanut vinaigrette that makes the salad so magical. The Hillstone Restaurant Group is based in Beverly Hills that has expanded into 13 states including Texas. If you have ever been to Hillstone, Houston’s, R+D Kitchen, Honor Bar, or any of its other restaurants, you know that the Hillstone Restaurant Group makes really darn good food.

Of course, being of the mindset that I had to have that kale salad the moment I got back home, I did what any girl with a slightly obsessive compulsive personality would do and bolted to Whole Foods at 9:30 am on a Saturday (sporting a lovely gingham face mask and no makeup I might add) to grab what I needed. That day, I did some research on the infamous roasted peanut vinaigrette, but decided to make mine from scratch, because many recipes were peanut oil-forward. I like a higher ratio of acid to oil in my dressings and wanted it to have a little more tang from the rice vinegar. I also added two tablespoons of peanut butter and mint to the dressings to play up the Thai flavors in the recipe to go with my Asian glazed chicken.

You can absolutely use rotisserie chicken in this recipe if you prefer, but I personally love the char of grilled chicken and the zesty ginger and lime notes in the marinade! I had actually been playing around with pairings for this chicken recipe for weeks and hadn’t found the right accoutrement until I thought to top this kale salad with it! This salad will undoubtedly be my family’s new staple for summer and I couldn’t be more excited to share the recipe with y’all!

Asian Glazed Chicken and Kale Salad

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

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Ingredients

Asian Glazed Chicken

• 2 boneless chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp coconut aminos
• 2 tsp ginger
• Zest and juice of one lime
• 2 tsp honey
• 2 cloves garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste

Salad

• 4 cups Tuscan kale
• 1 cup shredded green cabbage
• 1/2 cup unsalted peanuts (coarsely chopped)
• 2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
• 2 tbsp coconut aminos
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp roasted peanut oil
• 2 tsp minced ginger
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 4-5 mint leaves

Instructions

1. Start by preparing the marinade for the chicken by whisking together the lime juice, lime zest, coconut aminos, honey, ginger, and garlic together.
2. Add the chicken to a ziploc bag and using a mallet, tenderize the chicken into 1/4 inch thickness. Add the marinade to the bag with the chicken and seal the bag. Place the chicken in the fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
3. Next, prepare the dressing in a food processor by combining the peanut butter, peanut oil, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, mint, dijon, and honey. Blend into an even consistency.
4. Next, remove the chicken from the fridge and allow it to come back up to room temperature before cooking. Preheat 2-3 tbsp of canola oil (or another cooking oil with a high smoke point) in grill or saute pan to medium-high heat.
5. Lower the heat to medium and cook the chicken for 4-5 minutes on each side so that a nice char develops.
6. Once fully cooked, remove the chicken from the heat and allow it to rest for a couple of minutes before cutting into strips.
7. Chop the kale and cabbage, removing the thick stalks from the kale. In a large bowl, toss the kale and cabbage in the dressing.
8. Portion out the salad and top with the chopped peanuts and chicken.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 468Total Fat: 19.7gSaturated Fat: 2.6gCholesterol: 130mgSodium: 225mgCarbohydrates: 15.1gFiber: 2.8gSugar: 5gProtein: 59.4g