Chinese Chicken Salad

3 pounds chicken thighs, skinned
Ground black pepper
1 c chopped celery
1/2 c chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c hoisin sauce
3 TBS soy sauce
2 TBS grated ginger
2 tsp Asian chili sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/4 c rice vinegar
8 c shredded romaine lettuce
1 c shredded carrots
1/2 c cashews
2 TBS snipped cilantro

1. Sprinkle chicken with pepper. Place chicken, celery, onion, and garlic in a slow cooker. In a small bowl combine hoisin sauce, soy sauce, ginger, chili sauce, and sesame oil; pour over mixture in slow cooker. Stir to combine.
2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 5-6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2 1/2-3 hours.
3. Remove chicken from cooker, reserving 1/2 c of the cooking liquid. When chicken is cool enough to handle, use two forks to pull chicken apart into shreds.
4. For dressing, in a screw top jar combine the reserved 1/2 c cooking liquid and the rice vinegar. Cover and shake well to combine; set aside.
5. Arrange romaine, chicken, carrots, cashews, and cilantro onto dinner plates. Just before serving, shake dressing and drizzle over salad. Toss to coat.