A salad with grilled chicken, spinach, avocado, grapefruit segments, onion slices, and seeds on a white plate, placed on a red background.

Cumin-Scented Warm Chicken Salad

Serves Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

Marinated Chicken:
1/2 cup avocado oil
1/4 cup lime juice
3 tablespoons Kikkoman Soy Sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 serrano chiles, stemmed and minced
1 tablespoon toasted crushed cumin seeds
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast
1/2 cup peanut oil

Pepitas:
1/2 cup raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons Kikkoman Soy Sauce

Salad:
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
5 bunches watercress, stemmed and torn into bite-size pieces
1/2 large jicama, peeled and julienned
1 large pink grapefruit, sectioned
thinly sliced avocado

Directions

To make Marinated Chicken: Whisk together avocado oil, lime juice, soy sauce, garlic, chiles, cumin seeds and cornstarch. Slice chicken across the grain into 3- by 1/2-inch strips. Add chicken to marinade; toss to coat evenly. Refrigerate up to 4 hours. To cook, heat a cast iron skillet over high heat. Add peanut oil. Lift chicken strips from marinade and add to pan one at a time. Fry until dark golden brown and crisp, about 1 minute per side.

To make Pepitas: In dry saute pan over medium heat, toast pumpkin seeds until golden brown, shaking pan frequently. Remove from heat, add lime juice and soy sauce; shake vigorously until seeds are evenly coated. If necessary, shake pan over low heat until seeds are dry.

To make Salad: In large bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add watercress, jicama and grapefruit; toss well. Divide salad among 6 serving plates; arrange chicken strips on top. Garnish salad with avocado and pepitas.

Recipe created by Chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken

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