Asian Bean Thread Salad with Chicken

I wanted to share my favorite new healthy dish of the week with you. It’s adapted from Cooking Light: Asian Bean Thread Salad with Chicken. The way I made it, it has 6 points per serving. I cut back on the chicken because I’m an Almost Meatless type of gal. And because I was working with what I had. I was not about to, as the original recipe suggests, going to buy a rotisserie chicken.

But when you only have 21 “points” for the entire day and are saving 2 of them for a glass of wine, 6 points is OK for dinner, but too many for lunch. When I ate the leftovers, I dished out half a portion and it looked depressing. So I grabbed a (point free) summer squash, rendered it into a generous pile of additional “noodles” to the salad, splashed with some additional soy, vinegar and sambal oelek and then had a self-respecting lunch portion. The creative thinking that Weight Watchers has brought out in me is astonishing.

Bean threads, by the way, are available at Asian markets and Whole Foods. They taste more like noodles than beans and are so easy to use I can see them becoming a staple. Don’t fear them!

Asian Bean Thread Salad with Chicken
Serves 4; 6 Weight Watchers points per serving

3.75 ounces uncooked bean threads (cellophane noodles)
2 tablespoons plain rice vinegar
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons sambal oelek
3 bone-in chicken thighs, poached and shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup julienned carrots
1/2 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper strips
1 shallot, very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint
1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Soak the bean threads in recently boiled water for 15 minutes.

While the bean threads soak, combine the vinegar, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and sambal oelek in a small mixing bowl. Reserve.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken, carrots, bell peppers, shallot, cilantro and mint.

Drizzle the vinegar mixture over the chicken mixture and toss well to combine. Top each portion with about 2 tablespoons of the chopped peanuts.