Summer time Thai salad

I was beginning to think that the day would never come when summer 2012 would decide to poke its head through the big, miserable grey clouds. Obviously my fears have been averted as the UK basks in the first glorious heat wave of the year. So, in the spirit of the warm weather my menu plan for the week was adjusted from the hearty winter soups and curries to some lovely summer dishes, including this one: a Thai grilled chicken salad. The Thai flavours: chilli, lime, ginger and coriander have to be my favourite combination of flvaours and are great in both a curry in winter, or a salad like this in summer.


I cooked my chicken on the BBQ, but it would work just as well on a griddle pan on the hob, or even a plain old frying pan. The BBQ obviously gives you a bit more of a smokey flavour though. 


Thai grilled chicken salad
I pulled this recipe together from a combination of other recipe ideas I found. I just added things I liked, and removed things I didn't. The figures below are just a guide. You can adjust this recipe to feed as many of you like. Just use your judgement and add as much or as little of everything as you like. The quantities below serves 3.


Ingredients

1 Carrot sliced into matchsticks

4 Spring onions, sliced 

1/4 Cucumber, sliced into matchsticks

1 hand full Cherry tomatoes, chopped in half

1 small bunch fresh coriander leaves

1/4 red & yellow peppers, sliced into matchsticks 

100-200g vermicelli noodles, dry or wet is fine (depends how much you want to make. Add more noodles to make the salad go a bit further.)

1 2cm piece fresh ginger, sliced or chopped finely

300g Chicken breast pieces.

2 lime wedges per person

Optional extras
1/4 small cabbage, finely sliced 

1 hand full bean shoots

1/4 Mango, finely sliced

Fresh Chilli, red or green, finely sliced

Marinade/Dressing

I make this up twice. Once to marinade the chicken before I cook it, and once to pour over the salad. Once again, make it to taste depending on how much you like. 

• 1/4 cup sweet chilli sauce
• 3 teaspoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons lime juice

Method

1. Slice the chicken breasts into large pieces, but small enough to cook quickly. You should get 2-4 pieces  from each average sized breast piece. Place in a large bowl with marinade and place in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.

2. Prepare vegetables and place in a large salad bowl, tossing when complete (including optional extras if using)

3. Cook the chicken. If using the BBQ, make sure the coals are hot and no longer flaming. It will probably take anywhere between 8-15 minutes depending on the temperature of the BBQ and the size of the chicken pieces. The best way to tell if it's done is to take the biggest piece off the heat and slice it in the middle to check it. Make sure you use any remaining marinade in the bowl to baste the meat whilst it's cooking.

4. Once cooked, remove from the BBQ/pan and slice into strips.

5. Dress salad with second quantity of the dressing/marinade and toss. Assemble on the middle of your plates. Pile sliced chicken (and mango if using) on top of the salad and serve with lime wedges and enjoy.