Asparagus and Chicken Salad With Ginger Dressing

By David Tanis

Total Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 5(708)
Notes: Read community notes

Asparagus takes easily to many kinds of seasonings, so after you’ve tired of having it plain with butter or homemade mayonnaise, try this spicy dressing laced with ginger and chiles. Adding smoked chicken is a nice way to make a more substantial first course or light lunch. You can purchase smoked chicken at better butcher shops or online, but equally good is grilled chicken at room temperature, or cold poached chicken. I sometimes substitute lightly smoked ham or smoked slab bacon, simmered until tender.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

For the Vinaigrette

1large shallot, finely diced, about 2 tablespoons
3tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2tablespoons dark brown sugar
1tablespoon Dijon mustard
Salt to taste
Generous pinch of cayenne
1tablespoon grated ginger
2garlic cloves, minced
2teaspoons sesame oil
¼cup vegetable oil

For the Salad

1pound asparagus
Salt and pepper
1serrano chile, thinly sliced (optional)
½cup roasted peanuts, crushed
¾pound smoked chicken, sliced
1large lime, halved
Basil, mint and cilantro leaves, about ½ cup total

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
To make the vinaigrette, put shallots in a small bowl. Add vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt and cayenne and let steep for 5 minutes. Add ginger and garlic, then whisk in sesame oil and vegetable oil. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Step 2
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Snap off the tough end of each asparagus spear, then cut each spear into 2-inch lengths. Cut thicker pieces in half lengthwise as necessary so all cut pieces are approximately the same size. Place asparagus pieces into boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Drain and cool under running water. Blot dry.
Step 3
To make the salad, put asparagus in a salad bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add chile, if using, and crushed peanuts. Dress with half the vinaigrette and toss to coat.
Step 4
Arrange dressed asparagus on a platter or on individual plates. Tear chicken slices into strips and scatter over asparagus. Drizzle a little more vinaigrette over the salad and give it a good squeeze of lime. Garnish with basil, mint and cilantro leaves and serve immediately.

Ratings

5 out of 5

708 user ratings

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Cooking Notes

Keiko6 years ago

This was a fresh take on asparagus which I get tired of cooking the same few ways for a few weeks that's the only fresh spring produce available. I piled that on top of rice vermicelli noodles to make it into a lunch fare.

tundra6 years ago

Very good, am planning on using the leftover dressing tonight for another salad. I used honey instead of brown sugar and only half the amount.

Anne6 years ago

The ginger vinaigrette is excellent, a good balance of sweet and tart. I used it with other salad ingredients as well, on a baby kale salad with roasted butternut squash and almonds.

Brianna6 years ago

It's January, and because I was not about to pay twice as much for asparagus that isn't even half as good as in-season, I made this with broccolini. Honestly, I think I would eat a shoe if it was served with this dressing. So good, I almost forgot I was on a diet. Made as directed, I didn't find the dressing too oily or sweet - it was balanced nicely by the serrano.

Lorry Kennedy6 years ago

Have made this twice, really good. I added a bed of crisp greens and cucumber on the bottom. And, second time, used green beans instead of asparagus. This will be a go-to recipe for us.

John Duncan6 years ago

Great! For those of weaker palates, nix the cayenne pepper and easy on the serrano chile.....there's mucho zing in the dressing already. I grilled some of Fairway Market's sweet chili marinated chicken breasts vs smoked chicken. Nice!

inessa6 years ago

this was a fanastic salad. will come back to it mos def. suggest using the more slender asparagus, not the fatter ones. dressing is so flavorful.

KH6 years ago

siobhan 15 days ago
Awesome salad! Great for a hot weekday dinner. Used a Rotisserie chicken and doubled the asparagus and the dressing. Dressing is terrific! Served on gf spinach fettuchini with pickled cucumbers on the side. Everyone loved it!
Anne a year ago

(Try green beans if can't get asparagus)

quaasam5 years ago

A very nice way to serve asparagus. Made some changes. Roasted the asparagus for 5 minutes at 400F. Roasted a rd onion and a red pepper at 400F. Mixed all gently and served with the ginger dressing. A winner!!!

Robin6 years ago

I saw this as a variation on salade nicoise and was intrigued. I added lettuce and boiled potatoes. Cut the brown sugar in half, also the vegetable oil. I discovered we had no sesame oil, so I substituted tahini sauce. Halved the amount of vegetable oil and replaced it with peanut oil instead of using peanuts. The end result was Lower in calories altogether. Pret-ty tasty!

Katya6 years ago

Added sweet potato, probably doubled dressing. Delicious and liked by all picky eaters!

CARA6 years ago

Added chopped cilantro and cashews for lack of peanuts and udon noodles to make ita a meal

piled that on top of rice vermicelli noodles

Ms Nina G6 years ago

This is a great recipe! I made it with fresh baked salmon as that is what I had on hand - no mint, pine nuts instead of peanuts and added some hothouse cucumber I had on hand - I think the recipe as is (not my version) would have been even better - but it was still great. The dressing /sauce is fantastic!

Nancy1 month ago

Can you used toasted sesame oil in place of sesame oil?

Name Steve1 month ago

My bunch of asparagus was shy of a pound so I added a shredded carrot and a red pepper to make up the weight and for added color. Served it on cold soba noodles. Definitely a keeper.

GeothermalSusan1 year ago

The dressing is really delicious. I made a double batch the 2nd time I made this and used chili crisp instead of cayenne. I had some snow peas from the garden so I used those. The 2nd time I made this I couldn’t find any smoked chicken so I used smoked salmon. Tasted wonderful.

Coffee Grinder1 year ago

Great salad, dressing is delicious. I mixed in cooked farro, used leftover grilled chicken and smoked almonds. Will definitely make again.

ChadBad1 year ago

Made it with leftover chicken. Served over some linguine to make it more main course. Used thinly sliced red bell peppers so not as spicy. No peanuts, but a little Parmesan. Very good.

RR1 year ago

Delicious I don't like smoked chicken (who does?) so used cubes of pan fried chicken breast and served with rice my kids did not complain = a hit in my house.

siobhan1 year ago

My favorite salad dressing! in lieu of "smoked chicken" i make poached chicken using Melissa Clark's "Garlic-Chile Chicken Breasts" recipe on p. 35 using MisoGinger Broth, soy, ginger, garlic, jalapeño, i bring to boil, simmering for 10 minutes before adding chicken. add halved chicken breast and immediately remove from heat, stand for 10 minutes covered, turning chicken after 5 minutes also use in combination with Quinoa Arugula Salad

Diane Eames1 year ago

This is a delicious recipe! I used Grilled Chicken and Purple Asparagus, and my sister made it with Grilled Salmon. I'm thinking any protein could work -- plant or animal based. The dressing is everything.

Betsy2 years ago

Loved this!

Laurel W2 years ago

Second time through this recipe (on a warm summer evening) I grilled both the chicken and the asparagus on the Weber. Sliced the asparagus on the diagonal into pieces and tossed in a grill basket. Worked out great and I didn’t have to heat up my kitchen.

The Thyme Savor2 years ago

Vinaigrette with crushed peanuts will be a staple from now on in our recipe repertoire! Can see why smoked chix would be even better but grilled was great too! Perfect for brunch, weekend lunch or lighter dinner.

Laurel W2 years ago

One minute seemed a little short on the asparagus so I went longer, which turned out to be a mistake. Crunchy would have been better. Otherwise this recipe was a winner and well worth repeating. For the chicken, I skipped the smoked and roasted a small fryer.

julie v.2 years ago

This is a delicious recipe for a summer meal. It did NOT take 30 minutes, more like an hour.

Anne2 years ago

Did a trick. Poached chicken breasts in chicken broth with addition of liquid smoke. After poaching left the chicken breasts in the poaching water and froze the whole thing (to make the salad later) Breasts were perfectly "smoked"

Emily3 years ago

Delicious and fresh- so many harmonious flavors from the herbs and tangy vinaigrette and the crunchy peanuts and blanched asparagus added great texture. Marinated the chicken with similar ingredients (lime, soy, rice wine vin, ginger) and grilled it. Swapped serrano for jalapeño, added a cucumber and served everything over a bed of mixed baby greens and chilled vermicelli noodles. Perfect for an outdoor dinner with a crisp glass of Sancerre. Guests were wowed. Will absolutely make again

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