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Bob’s Chicken and Cabbage Salad

4.5

(20)

a mound of Purple cabbage salad with greens and chicken on a green plate
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, prop styling by Sean Dooley

Author Melissa Broder’s late father, Bob, was an ardent fan of purple cabbage. Like an “eat a wedge of it with blue cheese dressing” sort of fan. Originally inspired by a recipe from The Frog Commissary Cookbook, this crunchy chicken and cabbage salad quickly became Bob’s calling card, as Melissa tells it. It was the dish he’d bring to “every birthday luncheon, barbecue, and graduation party.” With a bright and punchy sesame-ginger dressing plus tons of texture from bean sprouts, canned water chestnuts, and toasted nuts, it’s little surprise why this was beloved. This recipe makes a mountain of salad—enough to feed a crowd. If it’s helpful, you can prep the vegetables, chicken, and dressing ahead of time and hold them separately, tossing everything together at the time of serving. —The editors

Read more: My Father Was Dying. The Cabbage I Found in His Fridge Kept His Memory Alive

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