Asian Chicken Salad

prep time:: 15 min
total time:: 20 min

Makes 4 servings

Create a light and refreshing salad with mandarin oranges, almonds, and fried wontons. The dressing will rival those of your favorite restaurant.

ingredients

Asian Dressing

1/2 c Peanut Oil
2 TBSP Sugar
1 TBSP Soy Sauce
1 TBSP Sesame Oil
1 TBSP Mirin
1/2 tsp Fresh Ginger
1/8 tsp Ground Ginger
Pepper to taste

Salad

1 Head Lettuce
2 Chicken Breasts, cooked*
1/4 Head Red Cabbage, sliced thin
2 Carrots, grated
1 cup Toasted Almond Slivers
1 cup Green Onions, sliced
1/2 cup Cilantro, chopped
1 8 oz. Can Mandrin Oranges
3 cups Oil
6 Wonton Skins
Rice Noodles
1 TBSP Sesame Seeds
Salt and Pepper to taste

directions

1
Dressing:
2
Grate the fresh ginger. Mix all the dressing ingredients but the oils together and whisk. Make sure the sugar is dissolved, then add the oils. Whisk oils in and set aside.

1
Salad:
2
Heat oil in a fry pan. Make sure to use enough oil to come half way up the side of your pan. Cut Wonton Skins into 1/4" strips. When the oil has reached 360°, carefully places separated wonton skins into the oil. Fry until golden brown. Using a spider or slotted spoon, remove the fried wontons from the oil and place on plate covered with a paper towel and allow to drain. When all the wontons have been fried, break the rice noodles apart, using about 1/4 of the package and fry in the same oil. When the rice noodles puff up and turn white, remove them from the oil and allow them to drain as well.
3
Tear lettuce up into bite size pieces. Thinly slice the red cabbage, grate the carrots and add both to lettuce mixture. Chop 1 cup green onions and 1/2 cup cilantro and add to the lettuce mixture. Drain the mandrin oranges and cut the chicken breasts into bite size pieces and add both to the salad. Add sesame seeds and almond slivers and lightly season with salt and pepper. Toss the ingredients gently to mix.
4
Add salad dressing to the salad mixture and lightly toss to coat the salad. Top with the fried wontons and rice noodles.

notes

*Chicken Breasts are optional. You can also use the dressing to make an Asian Slaw. Just delete the chicken replace the lettuce mix with a coleslaw mix and add 1 cup of peanuts and 1 cup of cilantro to the slaw mix and mix with the Asian Dressing.

Source: Pamela Gram