Wolfgang Puck has invaded Las Vegas with five restaurants; the informal Wolfgang Puck Café at the MGM, Trattoria del Lupo at Mandalay Bay, Postrio at the Venetian, Spago at the Forum Shops at Caesar’s and Chinois, also in the Forum Shops at Caesar’s. This is the recipe for the signature salad at Chinois.

Vinaigrette:
2 tsp. dry Chinese dry mustard
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. light sesame oil
2 to 3 tbsp. peanut oil
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Place all of the vinaigrette ingredients, except the peanut oil, in a blender and blend until smooth. Slowly add the peanut oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken Salad:
1-3lb. Chicken
Diced celery, diced carrot, chopped onion, chopped garlic, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper
2oz. melted butter
2 small heads Napa cabbage
1 cup Romaine lettuce cut into julienne
10 snow peas, cut into julienne
1 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 425º.

Place the diced celery, diced carrot, chopped onion, chopped garlic, bay leaf, thyme and salt and pepper into the cavity of the chicken.

Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan and baste it with some of the melted butter.

Baste the chicken every 15 minutes with the butter and pan drippings. Roast the chicken for about 1 ½ hours or until just done.

Select 4 to 8 nice looking leaves from the Napa cabbage and reserve them. Slice the remaining cabbage into ¼” julienne.

Shred the meat from the chicken breasts and thighs.

Combine the chicken, cabbage, romaine and snow peas in a bowl and toss with enough vinaigrette to coat the salad nicely.

Arrange the reserved Napa cabbage leaves around the edge of a large serving plate. Mound the salad in the center and sprinkle it with the sesame seeds.