Biggest Loser Bon Bon Chicken Salad
As any fan of Asian takeout knows, most items on the menu go heavy on oil, sodium and portion sizes. Biggest Loser Chef Devin Alexander found a way to create the flavors you crave without breaking your calorie budget. This tasty bon bon chicken salad is made of poached chicken with a savory Asian Peanut Sauce, cucumbers, scallions and sesame seeds. “I love serving this dish in lettuce cups when I’m looking for a super-satisfying, low-carb meal,” says Devin. “As an alternative to poaching the chicken as directed below, you can use up any leftover grilled, roasted or baked chicken you have on hand.”
Ingredients
Asian Peanut Sauce
- 1 tablespoon all-natural lower-sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons rapadura (unrefined cane) sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon chili-infused extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt-free Szechwan seasoning (I used The Spice Hunter Salt-Free Szechwan Seasoning Blend)
- 1-1/2 tablespoons peanut butter (all natural creamy)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Poached Chicken
- 2 cups chicken broth (all natural, low-sodium)
- 1/2 pound chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
- 1/2 medium cucumber (seeded and cut into very thin strips, about 2" long)
- 1 recipe Asian Peanut Sauce
- 1 whole scallion (trimmed and minced)
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds (toasted)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce and sugar.
- Add the oil and seasoning and mix until combined.
- Whisk in the peanut butter until smooth.
- Whisk in the vinegar until smooth.
- Add immediately to your favorite dish or refrigerate it in a resealable container for up to 5 days.
- For poached chicken, add the broth to a medium saucepan big enough to accommodate the broth covering the chicken breasts by at least 1".
- Place the saucepan over high heat. When the broth comes to a boil, add the chicken, turn the heat to a simmer, and poach the chicken in the liquid.
- If the chicken is not covered by the broth, either when it's originally added or during cooking, add enough water to the broth so that it is covered.
- Poach chicken uncovered, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until no longer pink inside.
- Drain the chicken from the liquid and allow it to cool to room temperature. Then refrigerate it until chilled, if desired.
- When the chicken is completely cooled (or chilled), use your fingers to pull it apart, creating small shreds. Mound the shreds in the center of two plates.
- Sprinkle the cucumber evenly around the chicken, along the edge of the plate.
- Pour the sauce evenly in the center. Top it with the scallions, then the sesame seeds, and serve.
Video
Spa Index Kitchen Notes
Nutrition
Adapted from “The Biggest Flavors of the World Cookbook” by Chef Devin Alexander. Copyright © 2011 by Universal Studios Licensing LLLP, The Biggest Loser™ and NBC Studios, Inc., and Reveille LLC. Reprinted by permission of Rodale, Inc., Emmaus, PA 18098.