My Primal take on a Chinese style cabbage slaw recipe with shredded chicken torn throughout finished with a wonderful sesame and ginger dressing.

More than often, cabbage is overlooked for its nutritional benefits. In fact, it's safe to say cabbage is loaded with vitamins, minerals and goodness. Most people mistake cabbage as part of the lettuce family but actually, it belongs to the brassica genus of vegetables including broccoli, cauliflower and kale.

Researchers have now identified nearly 20 different flavonoids and 15 different phenols in cabbage, all of which have demonstrated antioxidant activity. It also helps lower oxidized LDL, which is linked to hardening of the arteries. And since it eases inflammation, it can help prevent heart disease too. Pretty cool, huh?

So now we know why cabbage is so good for us, let's get down to the recipe!

Pouring over the ginger sesame dressing on top of the cabbage slaw

How to make the cabbage slaw

This is a really basic, yet super satisfying slaw recipe that will be perfect for either lunch or dinner. I've included a few key ingredients that also provide an extra boost of goodness (think of this as the God of salad's) including shredded carrot, purple cabbage, springs onions, cashew nuts, organic chicken, tender stem broccoli, sesame seeds and ginger. 

The chicken itself isn't necessary, but it adds a nice texture to the dish and of course, a healthy boost of protein which will leave you feeling fuller for longer. If you're vegan, feel free to omit for tofu or leave it out completely and enjoy as a side dish.

The slaw itself is really easy to put together and requires no cooking at all. You'll be consuming the veggies in raw form which means you'll be getting their full nutritional benefits too.

 

How to make the sesame ginger dressing

The sesame ginger dressing (which completes this dish in my opinion) is made with a touch of rice vinegar, sesame oil for flavour, grated ginger for a spice kick, honey for an element of sweetness and garlic for a touch of zang.

Once you've whizzed all your ingredients together, you'll simply pour over your slaw and ta-dah! It really couldn't be any simpler to make.

So, if you want a new salad recipe that's crunchy, colourful, packed with flavour and offers a decent protein hit, then grab your ingredients and let's go!

Sesame ginger cabbage slaw with shredded chicken recipe

Course: Main meal

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 14 minutes 
Total Time: 24 minutes
Servings: 2 (with leftover salsa)
Slaw ingredients
2 organic chicken breasts
Half of one red cabbage, sliced & diced thinly
1 large carrot, sliced
200g tender stem broccoli, sliced thinly 
1 bunch spring onions, sliced
1 large handful cashews, toasted
2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
Salt and pepper, to taste
Sesame ginger dressing
2 tbsp rice vinegar
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp ginger, minced
3 tbsp raw honey
2 tbsp sesame oil
Begin by boiling your chicken breasts in a pan. Simply boil a large pan with water and a little salt, add the breasts and bring to a medium heat for 10 minutes.
While your chicken cooks, add all of your slaw ingredients to a large bowl and toss together. If you haven't already, lightly toast your nuts and sesame seeds in a pan on medium heat with a little oil until golden. Add to the bowl too.
Prepare your dressing by adding all of the ingredients together in a separate, smaller bowl. Set aside.
Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pan and leave to cool before shredding. Add the chicken to the slaw along with the dressing and toss everything together before serving.