Southeast Asian Chicken Salad with Cashews & Coconut
via Milk Street, July-August 2019
25 minutes, Serves 6-8
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What you need:
1/3 cup unsweetened wide-flake coconut
2 Fresno or jalapeño chiles, stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced (you can see from the pics above that I used jalapeños instead of the red Fresnos)
3 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1/3 cup lime juice
1/4 cup fish sauce
2 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
2 medium shallots, halved and thinly sliced
3 cups shredded cooked chicken (rotisserie)
1/4 medium head green cabbage, cored and shredded (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup roasted cashews, roughly chopped
2 cups lightly packed fresh basil, torn
2 cups lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves
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What to do:

In a small skillet over medium, toast the coconut, stirring frequently, until light golden brown, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
In a blender, combine half of the sliced chilies, the garlic, lime juice, fish sauce and sugar. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer to a large bowl, mix to coat the shallots and chicken and let stand for 10 minutes.
Add the cabbage and toss with your hands to combine, gently rubbing the dressing into the shreds. Add the remaining sliced chilies, the cashews and coconut, then toss. Add the basil and cilantro and gently toss again.