(phase 1-4)serves 4
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 cups low fat chicken stock or water (for poaching chicken)
(You could also use about 4 cups canned chicken.)
8 cups shredded green cabbage
2 cups shredded red cabbage
(You can vary the proportions of green and red cabbage, but the red cabbage “bleeds” a little from the lime juice which is why you might use mostly green.)
1/2 cup sliced green onion (white and green parts)
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro (more or less, to taste)
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Dressing Ingredients:
5 tbsp Walden Farms mayo
2 1/2 – 3 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
1 1/2 – 2 tsp. green Tabasco Sauce (you can use regular hot sauce, but it turns the dressing slightly pink)
Put the chicken into a small, flat pan (just big enough that it will hold both chicken breasts). Cover the chicken with stock or water (or a combination) and simmer on low for about 15 minutes, then turn off the heat and let the chicken cool in the liquid.
While the chicken cools, whisk together the mayo, lime juice, and green Tabasco sauce. Start with the smaller amounts and then taste the dressing to see if you want to add more mayo, lime juice, or green Tabasco.
Cut out the core from the cabbage and remove outer leaves. Then cut cabbage into fourths, thinly slice each section and cut in half or thirds the other way to get 10 cups shredded cabbage total. (Measure cabbage as you go and save the extra to make this again!) Slice the green onions and chop the cilantro.
If you’re poaching chicken breasts, as soon as they are cool enough to handle remove them from the stock, discard stock, and cut the chicken into pieces about 1/2 to 3/4 inches square. Put the chicken into a bowl, add about half the dressing, and stir to coat chicken. Let the chicken marinate in the dressing for 15-20 minutes if you have time.
To assemble the salad, toss together the green cabbage, red cabbage, and sliced green onion in a large bowl. Add enough dressing to moisten the cabbage. (Remember you’ll be adding the chicken with dressing. If you don’t use all the dressing, save it to moisten any leftover salad when you take it out of the fridge.) Stir in the chopped cilantro so it’s well distributed in the salad, stir in the chicken and dressing, season salad to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper, and serve.
This will keep for a day or two in the refrigerator. It’s best if you have a little extra dressing to stir into the leftover salad after it’s been in the fridge