Loverly Leftover Chicken

Moo Shu Chicken Salad

Leaving aside how awesome Moo Shu sounds, I was really exited to try this one (This one is also from Family Circle.) It looked so yummy and easy. As it turns out, I was right. 

I made this recipe using leftover barbecue chicken from Shabbos. Now, the recipe actually calls for pre shredded carrot, and bagged coleslaw mix. That plus shredded pre-made chicken, and bottled moo shu sauce, cinch right? Of course, being  me, I have to complicate things. 

Firstly, I never get shredded carrots, because getting a whole carrot and shredding it myself is cheaper. It only takes about three minutes, so while the little Princess was gleefully spreading ziplock bags all over the kitchen floor  I took a nice medium sized carrot, peeled it... and kept on peeling. After I had a pile of carrot peels I took a knife and coarsely chopped the peeled carrot. Super easy- but the effort kind of defeats the purpose of using shredded carrot. 

Ditto for the coleslaw mix. Prince Charming hates cabbage, so that was automatically out, the good news is that I had a bunch of wilting peppers that were begging to be used, so I cut them into super thin slices while Princess tired of the ziplock bags and started climbing up me. Again, it only took about 3 minutes and then the Princess and I were off to play with blocks, but the whole point of using the coleslaw mix is that there is zilcho effort involved as opposed to minimal effort. 

That being said, I actually don't mind minimal effort, especially if the results taste like this. 

The Attempt: 

2 tsp canola oil

1 bag (10 oz) coleslaw mix

3/4 cup shredded carrot

3/4 cup moo shu stir fry sauce (such as Iron Chef or China Bowl)

4 cups shredded rotisserie (or leftover) chicken

8 cups Asian salad blend (such as Earthbound Farms Zen Blend)

3 Scallions, sliced

1/3 cup unsalted peanuts, chopped

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add coleslaw mix and carrot; cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally, until partially wilted. Stir in 1/2 cup of the sauce and bring to a simmer. Stir in chicken.

To serve place greens on a large serving platter. Spoon Chicken mixture over greens and sprinkle with scallions and peanuts. (Serve remaining 1/4 cup stir fry sauce for drizzling over salad)

Notes: 

1. As I mentioned above, I switched out the coleslaw for 2 large thinly sliced green bell peppers,  and a thinly sliced onion. Because in the end that meant more vegetables than in the original recipe, I added more sauce. In the end I used close to a cup of the sauce, but I didn't reserve for drizzling over the salad later because it didn't need it. 
2. PC doesn't like nuts (I'm nuts about them though-Groan for bad pun.) so I left them out altogether. I do, however, think that they complement the salad wonderfully. According to the recipe, if there is a question of peanut allergies, soy nuts substitute nicely. 

The Verdict:

So I could tell PC wasn't thrilled with this one, on account of the shredded COTB (chicken-on-the-bone) but he did concede that it tastes really good and is a great way to use leftovers. He even had it for lunch the next day! 

As for me, I'm obsessed. I think I would have it once a week if I could, but I would probably get sick of it- you know, shredding the chicken.... 

:)