Napa Cabbage and Chicken Salad

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make a tasty, juicy napa cabbage and chicken salad? It's easy. First, gather the ingredients from the list. I'd start with the dressing. Use any vegetable oil you like — I use extra-virgin olive oil. Go for a mild mustard; whole-grain is just right. Beyond the listed ingredients, you can add a splash of lemon juice.

2. Step 2:

   

   In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, mustard, honey, salt, and pepper. Whisk thoroughly until smooth — ideally the oil should emulsify with the honey and mustard. The dressing is ready.

3. Step 3:

   

   Now prep the main ingredients. You can roast the chicken in the oven (as I did), boil it, or pan-fry it. Adjust the vegetable element to your taste. Use store-bought breadcrumbs or make your own from an oven-dried slice of bread — mine are store-bought, fairly coarse and very crunchy. Any soft cheese works (feta, mozzarella, fresh cheese, processed); I used blue cheese.

4. Step 4:

   

   Wash and dry the chicken breast. Cut it into smallish slices and season with salt and pepper.

5. Step 5:

   

   Put the chicken in a baking dish and drizzle with vegetable oil. Roast in an oven preheated to 350°F (180°C) for 10-15 minutes — go by your own oven. You can also roast whole fillets and slice them afterward; just note that whole fillets need a bit longer to cook through, about 20-25 minutes.

6. Step 6:

   

   While the chicken roasts, cut up the rest. Wash the napa cabbage and cut it into large pieces — I separated it into leaves for convenience.

7. Step 7:

   

   Use any tomatoes for the salad, as long as they're firm enough to hold their shape when cut. Slice regular tomatoes; halve cherry tomatoes.

8. Step 8:

   

   Wash and dry the pear, quarter it, and remove the core. Cut each quarter into not-too-thick slices. It's best to prep the pear last, since pears (especially some varieties) brown quickly. Leave the skin on if it isn't tough — I used a Forelle pear.

9. Step 9:

   

   The chicken is done. Time to assemble the salad.

10. Step 10:

    

    In a bowl, combine the napa cabbage, tomatoes, roasted chicken, and pear.

11. Step 11:

    

    Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss gently, taking care not to crush the tomatoes and pear.

12. Step 12:

    

    Transfer the salad to a serving dish and scatter the blue cheese over the top. Just before serving, sprinkle with the breadcrumbs. Enjoy!