This warm Chicken and Seared Cabbage Salad with carrots and broccoli can be eaten by itself or on top of rice and it is great warm or cold! I love asian flavors and the nuttiness from the sesame oil, the saltiness from the soy sauce, with the sweetness from the honey and vinegar are a wonderful combination.
If you are going to have rice with this salad, then add 1 cup uncooked rice to 1 cup water and 1 cup vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, stir, then reduce heat to a light simmer, cover the pot, and let cook for 20 minutes. At 20min, turn off heat and let sit covered until you are ready to serve.
Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and put into a 400 degree F oven for 20 minutes. When the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, take them out of the oven and allow to cool. Once cooled, shred the chicken by hand into bite-size pieces. This step can be done 1-2 days in advance of eating.
Slice the cabbage thin or shred it into larger shreds to get 3 cups.
Dice the carrots and cut the broccoli florets into small bite-size pieces. Slice the scallions thin. Mince the garlic.
Make the sauce in a small bowl by adding 3 Tbls of water, 3 Tbls soy sauce, 2 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 Tbls honey, 2 Tbls Vinegar.
To a preheated large saute pan, add 1 Tbls Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Then add the carrots and broccoli. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring every minute or so. Next add the garlic, scallion (leave 1 tbls for garnish) and the cabbage and stir to mix and sear all of the cabbage.
Once the cabbage has started to soften slightly, Add the shredded chicken and the sauce, combining all of the sauce thoroughly with the chicken and veggies. Remove from heat and let cool.
Plate this warm salad over rice and enjoy! This can also be mixed with the rice and eaten cold the next day for lunch! Just add a drizzle more soy sauce and vinegar if you need more flavor the next day.