Does anybody out there know where April went? I feel like we were just welcoming the arrival of the month and now it’s on the way out! Here at The Café, it’s been a super busy month and this Asian Poppy Seed Chicken Salad has made wonderful, healthy meals on the run!
We had our sweet family from England here for a good part of April and we loved every second of their visit ………. though I have to admit, it does keep an old Grammy and Papa busy as little bees! We refer to them, fondly, as “the herd”. There’s always lots of shenanigans going on with four little ones, seven years and under.
I even got a “make-over” one day from our little Elle Belle. She slipped up to me with the sweetest smile and whispered in my ear; “Grammy, would you like a make-over?” What could I say? After she got me all done up with (very) rosy red cheeks, dark, smudgy eyes and bright red lips, she asked if I would “do” her. You should have heard Mommy yelp when we came down for dinner looking like ……….well, let’s just say, we looked like the loveliest of ladies.
I also had a birthday in April and my kids gave me the most fun present ever; they had our dear friend Amy, (who’s also an amazing professional photographer) spend an afternoon with us and shoot all kinds of pictures of the family. She captured some priceless images and I thought I’d share with you a little peek into life at The Café ……….
I have three older siblings and they all were married and had children prior to me. Their kids were all really cute. I just knew the odds were against me, that I’d probably be the one with the homely kids. Thankfully, I was wrong 🙂
Emery was having her own intimate conversation with Ashley, a favorite stuffed bear of Elle’s. Luke wanted to check things out. To me, she looked at him and said “Excuse me, did anyone invite you?”. Finally she resigns herself to include Luke and make it a threesome. She says, “Ashley, I’d like you to meet my cousin Luke. He didn’t ask to join our little tea party, but I think you’ll like him anyway. He’s quite handsome, don’t you think?”.
Did you think I got so carried away with these fun photos that I forgot today’s recipe? No way!! If you love fresh, healthy and crazy delicious, get out your sharpest knife and the cutting board! You’re going to flip over this fabulous salad!
You’ll need a few ingredients from the Asian section of the grocery store; rice vinegar, sesame oil and Sriracha, but the majority of your shopping will be in the vibrantly-hued produce aisle. Be sure to pick up fresh ginger, garlic, a small head of both red and green cabbage, one yellow bell pepper, a few pretty radishes and some basil, mint and cilantro (unless your herb garden is leaping like mine is). Oh, and don’t forget the chicken ………. you can roast your own (this is a wonderful recipe) or make it super simple by using a rotisserie chicken (if you have a Costco nearby, their’s are wonderful!).
Be sure to put this one on your spring/summer menu. It’s fresh, healthy and super delicious!
Asian Poppy Seed Chicken Salad
Fresh, healthy and super delicious!
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Cook Time: 3 mins
- Total Time: 48 minutes
- Yield: 6-8
Ingredients
- For the dressing:
- 2 tablespoons canola or other mild flavored oil
- 1 tablespoon finely zested fresh ginger, use a fine lemon zester or chop very fine
- 2 medium clove garlic, very finely minced or zested (I use my fine lemon zester for this also)
- ⅓ cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon sriacha sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, don’t skimp here, you have alot of ingredients to season.
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- For the salad:
- 3 cups finely sliced red cabbage
- 3 cups finely sliced green cabbage
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/8 inch diced
- 4 medium radishes, thinly sliced, then stacked and thinly julienned
- 4 cups shredded roasted or rotisserie chicken breast
- 1 medium size bunch finely chopped fresh cilantro (Be sure your herbs are dry before chopping or they will turn into a mushy paste.)
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh mint
- ½ cup finely chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Heat oil in a small sauce pan over medium low heat (be sure heat is not too high, you don’t want the garlic to brown). Add ginger and garlic and stir for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add remainder or dressing ingredients, bring to a boil and stir for 30 seconds or until sugar is completely dissolved. Set aside to cool while chopping your veggies and preparing the rest of the salad.
- Combine all veggies, herbs and shredded chicken. in a large bowl. Add enough dressing to thoroughly coat. Toss to combine. Serve on individual plates or a large platter. Garnish with more fresh herbs, if desired.
Precious and priceless!!! And the salad looks yummy too!
Chris your family is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. Smiles for days! I just love that! I’m sure I”ll be smiling as well when I make this salad! Swoon.
Your family is BEAUTIFUL!!!!! (And, no, I do not know where April went…..but school is almost out!) 🙂
What a wonderful salad Chris, love all the flavors and ingredients you put together. Also what lovely pics of you and your family, what a great gift.
What a STUNNING salad Chris! Simply beautiful! Love your family photos – they are great!!
What fantastic photos! You must be over the moon excited about them. I was fine til I saw those two jumping into a cold lake.
Your chicken salad is beautiful and beautifully photographed. It’s great to see Scott IN the photos for once!
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Chris what lovely pictures of your family!! They are adorable, beautiful family!
Love your salad!!
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I must say Chris this salad is lovely but not half as lovely as your family! You guys are truly blessed. Wishing you many more happy birthdays!
Chris, all of the pictures are utterly amazing – you are one lucky, beautiful family. And you made my day by posting them! How nice that your grand-children visited you for your birthday and how thoughtful that your kids oragnized a professinal photo shoot as a birthday present!
Now onto the salad – deliciousness in a bowl – I especially love the poppy seeds in the salad dressing! The sald looks perfect for a family gathering in the beautiful month of May!
I just found your blog from Google+ & I had to pop over and say I’m a new follower. Your blog is lovely, food & photography. (& your family) I look forward to trying some of your recipes. I am always challenged with making them happy at the dinner table or maybe it just gives me an excuse to read food blogs lol either way happy to find yours. Theresa
Nice to meet you Theresa! So happy you stopped by and thanks for taking the time to leave a comment :).
What a beautiful family, Chris and Scott! I loved this post for so many reasons. 🙂 This salad is just calling my name! One of my favorite combinations of flavors. Love the hyper close-up photo, too! Thanks for sharing. Pinning (of course)!
It looks colorful, flavorful, and so delicious. I love the combination of textures & flavors. YUM.
Gorgeous family and recipe. I love how healthy it is and all the vibrant colors.
You are blessed with a beautiful family Chris! May God bless you all 🙂
Who took all those family photos? They are so very beautiful!
The Asian-flavoured salad looks very crunchy, colourful and appetizing!
Beautiful family! Beautiful salad too, for the salad weather that’s hopefully going to be here soon! 🙂
Oh Chris! what a beautiful family you have = SO lovely! the salad is wonderful too 🙂
Mary x
Dear Chris, Your family is beautiful . I am sure they bring much joy to your heart!
A beautiful Asian chicken salad. Blessings dear. Catherine
I have been following your blog for some time now and very rarely comment but felt compelled to do so this morning. The photos of you and your gorgeous family had me smiling widely! Such lovely fresh innocent faces. My best friend died of cancer nearly four years ago and as we nursed her during the last terrible months, she asked me to “look after” her son and new daughter-in-law. They have a little girl that will turn 3 this October which she never knew about and have another one due in august. The little one calls me “oma” which is dutch/german for granny as I have happily “adopted” them all into my family and come for dinner every friday. Knowing how much love I feel for this little one and new on the way, I can only imagine what it will be like to love my real grandchildren when the time comes!!! (my son is only 17) 🙂 Oh and your recipe looks good too lol. 🙂
Oh Corrie, I loved getting this message from you. Thank you for taking the time to share your story. How precious that you have invested in these young people’s lives. You are creating a lifetime of sweet memories for both the children and their parents. I know your friend would be so pleased. You’re also getting great practice for grand-parenting!! You’ll be way ahead of the game!
Thanks again, so nice to hear from you,
Chris
Although the salad is as lovely as all your other dishes..
I cannot get past the gorgeous pics of you ALL..WOW.
can you come and take our pics?
Love.
You shouldn’t even bother posting food when you include your precious little ones, you know. It looks fantastic and I love the Asian flavors you used, but that matters not at all. It’s all about the kids, those gorgeous, darling little ones. God has been so, so good, Chris.
Aw, really nice pics Chris! The salad sounds great too:@)
Chris those photos are just magical. What a treasure and such a special present. You have a beautiful family!
I would love to see a picture of Elle’s makeover, I bet you were gorgeous!!! Well, at least in her eyes. These are really fabulous pictures. The one of you all together everyone is happy, and that is not an easy thing to do. Lilly and Luke are two of my favorites. And I LOVE you and your husband laughing!
What precious pictures of your lovely family. Thanks for sharing.
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This is the perfect spring and summer salad…fresh, crunchy and tasty!! I have just what I need to make this for dinner!
Oh Chris, I just grinned my way through this post — how blessed you are! My girls are just now moving out on their own, the youngest is graduating college next month, I guess I have a lot to look forward to!
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Chris – your family is absolutely beautiful. That photo of you and your husband with the grand kids – is stunning. You are so blessed. Yes the recipe looks great – but I love seeing your happy family. I know it was a joyous reunion. Your daughters are beautiful, their children are beautiful and so are you. Thanks for sharing this intimate moment!
Your family is beautiful!