Grilled Cajun Chicken Salad
This non-tradition Grilled Cajun Chicken salad is not made of any kind of leafy mix. Instead, it is a combination of white onion and Asian herbs.
Servings: 2 people
Equipment
- 1 Mason jar to make and store vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs pat dry, skin on
- 1 big white onion thinly sliced
- 5 sprigs Vietnamese coriander washed, picked
- 3 sprigs cilantro washed, picked
- garlic chili fish sauce dipping sauce served on the side, recipe below
Cajun Sauce
- 4 oz unsalted butter
- 4 oz garlic minced
- 0.3 oz Cajun seasoning
- 0.3 oz Old Bay seasoning
- 0.3 oz lemon pepper seasoning
- 0.3 oz paprika
- 0.2 oz brown sugar
- 0.1 oz cayenne pepper
Fish sauce vinaigrette
- ¼ c sugar
- ¼ c vinegar
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- ½ tsp olive oil
- 1 dash white pepper
- 1 dash black pepper
Instructions
Cajun sauce
- In a heavy bottom medium cooking pot or large cooking pan, melt unsalted butter over medium heat. When butter has melted completely, add the minced garlic and saute for 5 minutes. Be careful, DO NOT burn the garlic.
- Add the seasoning mixture to the melted butter, constantly stir for another 5-8 minutes. After that, turn off the heat. Remove the pot from heating source and let it cool down. Refrigerate in an air tight container for up to 2 months.
Grilled Cajun chicken
- Pre heat oven to 390F
- Lightly salt & pepper chicken thighs. In a double bottom pan, heat few tbsp of vegetable oil on medium high heat. When the oil is hot enough, quickly sear chicken thighs, skin side first. Sear each side for 3 minutes.
- Drain chicken thighs on oil absorb paper to get rid of excess oil. Then baste chicken all over with Cajun sauce
- Arrange chicken thighs neatly, skin side down on baking pan, and grill for 10 minutes.
- Turn the chicken thighs skin side up then grill for another 8 minutes. The chicken should be done by now. If not, keep cooking them for another 2-3 minutes. You can check whether it is done by insert a knife into the part near the bone, if there is blood coming out, it means you need to cook more.
- Take grilled chicken out of the oven and let them cool down for 10-15 minutes (to room temperature). Then use 2 forks to separate the meats into small pieces.
Fish sauce vinaigrette
- In a Mason jar, combine all ingredients and give a few shake. Keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
Serving
- In a medium mixing bowl, add shredded grilled Cajun chicken, sliced white onion, Vietnamese coriander and 3-4 tbsp of fish sauce vinaigrette. Lightly mix until the vinaigrette coats all ingredients evenly. Take the salad out and put on serving dish, garnished with picked cilantro and served with chili garlic dipping sauce on the side (as desired).
Notes
Related recipe: Chili Garlic Fish Sauce Dipping Sauce