Thai Coconut Chicken on Greens

Three strata - greens, noodles, and chicken and pecans, build layers of flavor and texture in this chef salad.
1/2 lb Pho rice noodles, or angel hair pasta
2 carrot, peeled into ribbons
palmful cilantro leaves, chopped

Noodle dressing:
4 Tbsp sweet Thai chili sauce
2 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
2 Tbsp canola oil

1-inch ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 chicken thighs, sliced
2 Tbsp grated coconut
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp asian fish sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp pale dry sherry
1 tsp sesame oil

6 cups fresh baby greens
1/2 cup pecan halves
1 red chili pepper, finely sliced

Heat a quart of water in a medium pot to boiling. Salt generously for the pasta. Cook the pasta until al dente.

Meanwhile, whisk together the noodle dressing in a medium bowl. Drain the pasta when cooked and allow to cool off a bit, tossing it with tongs.

Toss pasta into bowl with dressing and add carrot and cilantro. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Heat a dash of canola oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add the ginger and garlic and cook 2 minutes. Mix the chicken in a small bowl with coriander and season with freshly ground black pepper.

Add the chicken to skillet and brown one side a bit. Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, sherry and sesame oil to the pan and stir the chicken.

Allow the chicken cook through and the liquids to evaporate. The chicken should have a syrupy coating.

Distribute the greens evenly on four plates. Distribute the noodle salad onto the four plates evenly. Top with chicken, evenly distributed on the noodle salads. Garnish with pecan halves and red chili pepper.

Serves 4.