Shredded Chicken Salad with Cabbage and Peanuts

This salad is hearty and lasts days in the fridge. And, it’s endlessly adaptable, so throw in any extra veggies and you won’t be disappointed.

My go-to meal is this kind of salad. A lot of finely chopped/shaved/diced ingredients, tossed together with a dressing. This one is bulked up with chicken (which you can purchase as a rotisserie if you don’t have the time to roast), which makes it go even farther. The key to keeping it appealing and chewable is shaving the vegetables nice and finely.

Ingredients

Chicken

1 3-4 pound whole chicken, patted dry
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon fennel seed
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon aleppo pepper
Black pepper
Butter

Salad

1/4 head green cabbage, finely shaved
1/2 cup green onions, sliced
1 shallot, finely sliced
1 cup shredded dino kale, massaged
1 cup cooked rice
1/3 cup peanuts
1/4 cup sour cherries
1 fresno pepper, sliced
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Avocado, for serving

Preparation

Prepare chicken: Mix together salt, oregano, coriander, fennel, paprika, aleppo, and black pepper in small bowl. Set aside. Remove any giblets from cavity of chicken (discard or save for later stock/gravy). Pat dry with a paper towel, making sure to get in all the nooks and crannies. Rub spice mixture over chicken, including inside cavity. Let rest in fridge for 1 hour, or up to a day (the longer the better).

Preheat oven to 450. Remove chicken from fridge and rinse spices off with cold water. Pat dry. Rub with butter (this helps get the skin crisp), sprinkle with salt and pepper, and set, breast-side up, in oven-proof roasting pan (I use a cast-iron skillet).

Put chicken in oven and immediately lower temperature to 400. Roast, undisturbed, for 50 minutes. Check chicken with thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh registers 165. Continue roasting, checking every 10 minutes for doneness. Total roasting time will range from 50 minutes to 1 1/2 hours, depending on size and type of chicken.

Once cooked, remove from oven and transfer to cutting board to rest.

Prepare salad: In a medium bowl, combine cabbage, shallots, green onions, rice wine vinegar, and salt. Mix and let rest. This softens the cabbage a bit and infuses it with a nice vinegary, oniony flavor. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine kale, rice, peanuts, sour cherries, and fresno pepper. Set aside.

Carve chicken, reserving skin, and shred using two forks. Add to kale and rice mix. Roughly chop chicken skin and add two tablespoons to mix.

Add cabbage mixture to chicken mixture and toss with olive oil. Mix in sesame seeds and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with sliced avocado on top.

Do ahead: Salad keeps in refrigerator for 4 days.