Cafe Zoe: Oriental Chicken Salad

Zoe Houk Robinson's "dream dish" – Oriental Chicken Salad – was on the Cafe Zoe menu shortly after it opened in Lafayette Square in June of 1983. It as her yin and yang of soft and crunchy, sweet and tart.

Below are two slightly different versions of the dish, the first appearing in St. Louis Magazine in 1984 and the second in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 1986.

Blanch snow peas in boiling water Poach chicken breasts

Oriental Chicken Salad

Source: St. Louis Magazine, June, 1984

Yield: 4 servings


Ingredients

  • 2 cups snow peas (washed, stem and trimmed)

  • 2 whole chicken breasts

  • 2 cups thinly sliced papaya or cantaloupe

  • 1 medium to large tomato (cut in wedges)

  • 1 small red onion, thinly sliced

  • 1/2 cup white wine

Dressing:

  • 1 cup sesame oil

  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

  • 1/3 cups soy sauce


Preparation

Blanch snow peas in lightly salted boiling water. Drain and immerse in pot of ice water to halt cooking and to set color. Set aside.

Bring four quarts of water to boil. Add wine, chicken; reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until the chicken is done (about twenty minutes).

Remove chicken from water. When cool enough to handle, discard skin and pull the meat from the bones. Slice chicken into thin strips. Place in a large bowl with remaining ingredients. Toss with dressing and served immediately. Salad is best at room temperature.



Oriental Chicken Salad

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 29, 1986

Yield: 4 servings


Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup soy sauce

  • 1/2 cup red wine vinegar

  • 1/2 cup sesame oil

  • 2 whole chicken breasts

  • 1/2 bay leaf

  • 1 carrot, scrubbed

  • 1 rib celery with leaves

  • 1 onion pierced with 3 whole cloves

  • 4 peppercorns

  • 1/4 tsp dried thyme

  • 1 clove garlic, unpeeled

  • 2 cups snow peas

  • 1 cup sliced fresh papaya, cantaloupe or mango (or an 11-oz can Mandarin oranges, drained)

  • 6 slices red onion

  • Green leaf lettuce to cover 4 luncheon plates


Preparation

Combine the soy sauce, vinegar and sesame oil in a jar. Refrigerate. Shake dressing well before using.

Poach the chicken breasts. To do so, cover them with cold water by 1 inch and slowly bring to a simmer. Add bay leaf, carrot, celery, onion pierced with cloves, peppercorns, thyme and garlic. Simmer, partly covered, only until chicken is tender and can be easily pierced with a sharp knife. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the chicken to cool in the broth. When cool, remove the skin and bones.

Blanch the snow peas for 2 minutes; plunge into cold water to stop the cooking and maintain the green color. Drain and chill.

Immediately before serving, slice the poached chicken breasts into julienne strips. (Slicing ahead of time can cause the chicken to dry out.) Toss the chicken strips with the pea pods, sliced fruit, onion rings and the dressing. Line 4 plates with lettuce. Arrange salad on each plate.


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