Baby Bleu Grilled Bok Choy Salad
The following recipe and photography was provided by recipe developer and food photographer, Ashley Durand of Plate & Pen.
My favorite type of salad growing up was a Waldorf salad. Weird I know, but it has so many good flavors and I love the addition of chicken. If there’s no protein involved, I’m just not full!
Heinen’s has an outstanding produce selection, but they just got in fresh baby bok choy and I had to grab it because I wanted to test a hybrid Waldorf and bok choy concoction. So this recipe has no fruit, but the grilled bok choy and spicy honey glaze is so good.
You’ll want to grill the chicken first. One chicken breast, hammered flat, should do, but if you want more, feel free to double the amount. Finishing the salad with bleu cheese crumbles, creamy bleu cheese dressing and walnuts really round out that flavor profile of this delicious creation.
I’m always cooking just for two, so four grilled baby bok choy were plenty for us., but if you’re feeding a table of people, you may want to double this recipe. It goes fast, trust me!
Baby Bleu Grilled Bok Choy Salad
Ingredients
- 4 baby bok choy greens, washed and dried
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 1 Tbsp. sambal oelek chili sauce
- 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
- 1 large shallot, julienned for grilling with chicken
- 1 large chicken breast, pounded flat
- 1 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- Packaged bleu cheese crumbles
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- Creamy bleu cheese dressing, for topping
Instructions
- Mix 1/2 cup olive oil, fresh lemon juice, honey, sambal oelek chili sauce, red pepper flakes, ground ginger and minced garlic together for the brushing glaze.
- Cooking the chicken first is crucial, because the bok choy cooks VERY fast. Season the chicken with fresh cracked black pepper, cayenne pepper, kosher salt, dried thyme and dried oregano.
- Heat a skillet over medium-heat and toss in a few glugs of olive oil. Sauté the shallots for 3-5 minutes. Add the seasoned chicken to the skillet with the onions, so that they both get a good grilled color. The chicken should only take about 7-8 minutes to cook. Halfway through cooking the chicken, brush the glaze on each side of the chicken breast. When the chicken is done, remove from heat and cut into small cubes for the salad. Set aside. Also remove the onions to a separate plate. You will use them to top the bok choy.
- Baste the bok choy on all sides with the same glaze used on the chicken. Add to a grill heated to medium-high for 4 minutes. Remove from grill and arrange on a serving tray. I alternate between bulb end and green end so that they fit a nice pattern.
- Drizzle the creamy bleu cheese dressing over the bok choy. Be careful not to use too much so the bok choy does not get soggy.
- Add the walnuts, bleu cheese crumbles, and chicken and top off with the cooked shallots.
Note: If you grill outside, please know this that the bok choy cooks fast!
