Chicken Mango Slaw
During the summer months, when the temperature in Paris shoots up to nearly unbelievable heights, it turns my up-on-the-rooftop apartment into a furnace, and many nights dinner will be enjoyed on the roof, overlooking the city, watching the rest of it cool down after a broiling day. Somehow, my apartment doesn’t enjoy the same cool-down period, perhaps its the price I pay for being closer to the sky? Because the roof is quite pitched, I’m always careful about not having a glass of wine with dinner. But if for some reason you ever stop hearing from me, well, c’est la vie.
This is a pretty quick recipe I tossed together for dinner tonight. A friend I was corresponding with sent me a message earlier jokingly noted that some of my recent posts were voluminous, so this one will be short and to the point. I promise.
For many years, raisins and other fruity things were forbidden in my cole slaw. But over the years, I’ve softened my stance and I’ll allow it. Especially when you have a gorgeous, hefty-ripe mango from the market, raring and ready to go. I’d also bought a cabbage at the market last week because it was so pretty, with it’s gentle torsade-like swirl. I’d seen one in a French food magazine, gently seared, and thought I’d do the same. It’s called a Chou Cabus Cลur de Bลuf Moyen de la Halle. And if you wonder why I need a glass of wine with dinner, after a day of shopping for ingredients, now you know why.
But it was so big it didn’t fit in my refrigerator, so I had to use it pretty quickly, hence the darkening stems. You can make this crunchy salad very fast, especially if you marinade the chicken in advance, preferably overnight.
I let mine sit in a handful of Italian herb rub that I make every winter, add a pour of olive oil, and some dried Korean chile pepper powder, which seems to find its way into almost everything around here. Then I simply fry them on the stovetop, so I don’t need to turn on the oven.
You can also toast nuts on the stovetop, although I find ten minutes in a 350ยบF (180ยบC) oven does a better job. So if you wanted to be extra-efficace, you could oven roast the chicken at the same time as the cashew nuts.
Although here I go again, running off. So here’s the recipe…
Chicken Mango Slaw
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup (60-125ml) vinaigrette dressing
- 1/2 large ripe mango, peeled and sliced into bite-size chunks
- 2 pan-roasted or grilled chicken breasts, cooled, then sliced
- 1/3 cup (40g) toasted cashews, very coarsely chopped
- 3 tablespoons freshly chopped fresh mint, cilantro, or chives
- 2 large carrots, peeled and julienned or grated coarsely
- 12 radishes, thinly sliced
- 4 cups (60g) thinly sliced or shredded cabbage
- 1/4 teaspoon red chile pepper powder
- Put the vinaigrette in a large bowl.
- Mix all the ingredients together.
- Divide into two bowls, and serve immediately.
Notes
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