Seamus Mullen's Tamari-Glazed Chicken Salad
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Seamus Mullen is one of the most outspoken voices in favor of healthy food within the celebrity chef world. His latest book, Real Food Heals, is a follow-up to 2012's Hero Food, which seeks to teach home cooks how to make the most nutritionally dense food while leaving out the stuff that slows you down. Mullen continues to chronicle his journey to healthful living through delicious food. This tamari-glazed chicken salad is exactly what you want for lunch.
Southeast Asian flavors run through this nice contrast of hot chicken over cold salad. They're bound together by the marinade, which is boiled after seasoning the chicken so it can be turned into the salad dressing. I like chicken legs because of the different textures of the thigh and drumstick, but I also like deboning them so they cook more evenly.
- 1/3 cup reduced-sodium gluten-free tamari
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon cayenne hot sauce
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 1-inch piece fresh ginger
- 1 1/2-inch piece fresh teurmeric
- Zest from 1/4 lemon
- 4 chicken legs
- 5 ounces spring mix
- 1/2 shallot
- 1/2 English cucumber
- 1 avocado
- 2 carrots
- 1/2 bunch cilantro
- 1 serrano or jalapeño chile
- 3 tablespoons Pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)
- sea salt
- Juice from 2 limes
- 2 Just-Right Boiled Eggs
- To make the glazed chicken, in a shallow dish that will hold the chicken snugly, combine the tamari, vinegar, maple syrup, fish sauce, hot sauce, garlic, ginger, turmeric, and lemon zest. Debone the chicken legs by running a sharp knife along the bones to create a slit, exposing the bones. Open the slits and slide the knife under the bones to scrape the meat away and release the bones. Save the bones for another use. Add the chicken to the marinade and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Place the chicken skin-side down in a single layer in a 9 by 13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Transfer the marinade to a small saucepan. Bake the chicken for 18 minutes; boil the marinade for 5 minutes. Turn the chicken over and brush with just enough of the boiled marinade to coat the skin. Turn the oven to broil and broil the chicken for 5 minutes.
- While the chicken cooks, make the salad. In a large bowl, combine the spring mix, shallot, cucumber, avocado, carrots, cilantro, chile, and pepitas. Sprinkle with sea salt and toss to mix.
- Add the lime juice to the marinade and whisk well. Drizzle over the salad and toss until well coated. Divide the salad among four serving dishes and top each with an egg half, if desired. Sprinkle the egg with salt.
- Cut the chicken into 1-inch chunks and scatter the hot pieces over the salad. Drizzle any juices from the baking dish over the chicken. Serve immediately.