Chef Recipe: An American Classic with an Asian Accent

When first opened in 1983, our chicken salad was one of our most popular lunch offerings. It's light yet satisfying, and the ginger adds a delightful piquancy. The chicken breast is cooked just before serving and arranged warm over the cool salad greens dressed with a sesame vinaigrette. With spring almost here and summer not far away, this salad is a perfect choice for warm weather dining. A chilled Riesling would pair well with this dish.

The Dish: Warm Chicken Salad Mirabelle

For the dressing:

• 1 teaspoon mustard
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tabelspoons sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons peanut oil

For the salad:

• 1/2 head of Boston lettuce
• 1 endive
• 1/2 head of radicchio
• 1/2 head of green leaf lettuce
• 1 small gingerroot, peeled
• 3 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and discarded
• 2 chicken breasts
• 2 1/2 teaspoons peanut oil

Preparing the dressing: In a food processor fitted with the metal blade combine the mustard with the salt and pepper and add the vinegar and the soy sauce. In a small bowl combine the oils. In the processor blend the mustard mixture and add the oil slowly. Season the dressing with salt and pepper to taste and reserve it.

Preparing the salad: Wash and dry the lettuces thoroughly. Cut the gingerroot and the shiitake mushrooms into thin julienne strips. Sprinkle the chicken breast on both sides with salt and pepper. In a medium-size skillet sear the chicken over moderately high heat, turning them, in 1 1/2 teaspoons of the peanut oil until they are cooked and reserve them. In a skillet saute the gingerroot and mushrooms in the remaining peanut oil until the mushrooms are cooked, stir in 1 tablespoon of the reserved dressing, and reserve the ginger and mushroom mixture.

In a salad bowl toss the lettuces well with 1/2 tablespoon of the reserved dressing, or to your taste (reserving the remaining dresing for another time), and arrange the greens on 2 salad plates. Slice the reserved chicken into strips and arrange it over the salads. Top the salads with the reserved ginger and mushroom mixture. Serves 2.