BB: Chinese Chicken Salad (my pick!)

It was my turn to pick a recipe for Barefoot Bloggers . . . after a quick scan through Barefoot Contessa Parties!, I knew exactly what my pick would be - Chinese Chicken Salad. I'm a fan of good chicken salad (there is a mango curry chicken salad I particularly love) -but I'd never tried a "Chinese" version until this one. I really liked it - but I have a few comments: a) I think it is best when the dressing very lightly coats the ingredients - too much dressing = too much of a peanut butter taste - I didn't use all the dressing; b) adding more red pepper strips can never be a bad thing; and c) based on comments, some people think there is too much kosher salt in the recipe - I don't think it's too salty (but then again, I like salt). To find out what the other Barefoot Bloggers thought, check out their posts here.

Chinese Chicken Salad
4 split chicken breasts (bone-in, skin-on)
olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound asparagus, ends removed, and cut in thirds diagonally
1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded
2 scallions (white and green parts), sliced diagonally
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, toasted

For the dressing:
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I reduced . . . probably used 1/3 cup)
1/4 cup good apple cider vinegar (get Bragg's, Spectrum, or something locally produced - there is huge difference!)
3 tablespoons soy sauce (I use Tamari)
1 1/2 tablespoons dark sesame oil (I used toasted sesame oil)
1/2 tablespoon honey
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon peeled, grated fresh ginger
1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub with the skin with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and shred the chicken in large bite-sized pieces.

Blanch the asparagus in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes until crisp-tender. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain. Cut the peppers in strips about the size of the asparagus pieces. Combine the cut chicken, asparagus, and peppers in a large bowl.

Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the chicken and vegetables. Add the scallions and sesame seeds and season to taste. Serve cold or at room temperature.