This salad features grilled chicken; a superflavorful dressing based on soy sauce, peanut or sesame butter, and spices; and cucumber for crunch. Make extra dressing and you can serve the chicken on top of a bed of salad greens. Boneless chicken thighs are preferable to breasts, because their flavor and texture are superior, they remain moist during grilling, and they brown perfectly.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs or breasts

　　1/4 cup soy sauce

　　3 tablespoons peanut butter or tahini (sesame paste)

　　2 teaspoons sesame oil

　　2 small garlic cloves, peeled

　　A few drops of hot sauce, like Tabasco

　　Salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　1/2 teaspoon sugar

　　2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or other mild vinegar

　　1 cucumber

　　6 cups salad greens

　　1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro

　　

Step 1

Start a grill or preheat the broiler. Cut the chicken meat into 1/2- to 1-inch chunks and thread it onto skewers (if you’re broiling, you can forget the skewers and simply use a roasting pan). Put the skewers on a plate and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce.

　　

Step 2

In a blender, combine the remaining soy sauce with the peanut butter, sesame oil, garlic, hot sauce, salt and pepper to taste, sugar, and vinegar. Add 1/3 cup of warm water and process until the mixture is smooth and creamy. (You can add as much as you like; garlic, vinegar, and sesame oil also can be added to taste.) Put the dressing in the refrigerator to cool.

　　

Step 3

Grill or broil the chicken, turning once or twice. Total cooking time will be 6 to 8 minutes for breasts, 10 to 12 minutes for thighs. Meanwhile, peel the cucumber (if it is waxed), slice it in half the long way, and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Cut it into 1/2-inch dice and combine in a bowl with the dressing. When the chicken is done, let it rest and cool on a cutting board for a few minutes, then toss it with a tablespoon or two of the dressing and cucumber.

　　

Step 4

Toss the dressing and cucumbers with the greens, top with the chicken, garnish with the cilantro, and serve.

　　

Variations

Step 5

Add minced bell pepper (preferably red or yellow), celery, and/or zucchini to the mix.

　　

Step 6

Garnish with fresh basil (Thai basil is especially good), mint, or minced scallion in place of or in addition to the cilantro.

　　From Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes From the New York Times by Mark Bittman Copyright (c) 2007 by Mark Bittman Published by Broadway Books.Mark Bittman is the author of the blockbuster Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.