SPICY CHICKEN AND SPELT SALAD

Spicy Chicken and Spelt Salad image

This is a colorful and wonderfully zippy chicken and spelt salad with a spicy soy sauce dressing.

Provided by Always Cooking Up Something

Time 1h45m

Yield 10

Number Of Ingredients 22

Ingredients

¼ cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon grated fresh garlic
1 serrano chile peppers, minced
1 cup spelt kernels
6 cups water
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 quart water
½ teaspoon salt
1 onion, peeled and cut into chunks
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro
3 carrot, thinly sliced
2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage

Steps:

Whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, olive oil, vinegar, peanut butter, cayenne pepper, ginger, garlic, and serrano in a small bowl; set aside.
Toast spelt kernels in a dry skillet on medium-high heat until the kernels are browned and some have popped. Remove, place in a mesh strainer, and rinse well with cold water. Drain. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan; add 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and stir in spelt kernels. Return to a boil then cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until tender, about 1 hour. Drain well and set aside to cool.
While the spelt is simmering, fill a skillet with 1 quart water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and onion. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add chicken breasts, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove chicken from liquid and allow to cool.
Once chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-sized chunks and place in a large bowl. Stir in spelt, bell pepper, green onions, parsley, cilantro, carrots, and cabbage. Pour sauce over salad and stir well to combine.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 225.5 calories, Carbohydrate 21.8 g, Cholesterol 26.9 mg, Fat 10.2 g, Fiber 2.5 g, Protein 14.2 g, SaturatedFat 1.6 g, Sodium 643.1 mg, Sugar 4 g