Betty's Kitchen Fare: Peking Chicken Salad

Many, many years ago we were on a business trip to San Francisco and had dinner in a wonderful Chinese restaurant. The first course was a salad composed of iceberg lettuce, crisp noodles and chicken with a dressing that was very rich and slightly spicy. I have never had it before (or since), but it was a delicious dish. When we got home, I experimented until I came up with a close approximation of a dish we had enjoyed so much. Here is the recipe and I hope you will like it as much as we do:

Peking Chicken Salad

1 poached chicken breast (recipe follows)
2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
1 - 1½ cups fried Chinese noodles
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (toast in fry pan until they turn brown and start to pop)
1 or 2 finely julienned scallions

Dressing:

¼ cup duck sauce
¼ cup plum sauce
2 tablespoons Chinese sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon chili oil (or to taste)

Poached Chicken Breast:

In a pot just large enough to hold chicken breast, bring to a boil water to cover chicken, add 3-4 slices fresh ginger and 3-4 scallions. Add chicken and let water return to a boil, cover and turn off heat. Let sit for 20 minutes WITHOUT REMOVING COVER. Allow chicken to cool in the water. Remove chicken skin, remove meat from bones and shred.

To serve:

Place shredded lettuce in a wide shallow bowl, add noodles, leaving a rim of lettuce showing; add chicken in center of noodles, leaving a rim of noodles showing. Place julienne scallions on top of chicken and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over all. Add dressing and toss.

WATCH THE VIDEO DEMONSTRATION: