Oriental Chicken Salad: crunchy chicken with crisp oriental greens, chow mein noodles, tossed with a sweet oriental vinaigrette.
Growing up I worked at a little neighborhood sewing store. I loved learning from their expertise and sharing my talents with beginner sewers. I loved organizing patterns and restocking the shelves. It was where I spent most of my childhood. I started lessons at 8 and began working at 14. I worked there throughout the years until I graduated. Some of my greatest heroes and life mentors came from that little store.
Well one of the perks of the job was that they would buy lunch for their employees. Most times, I would walk down to the corner burger joint and order for the crew. On special occasions, someone with a car could sneak away and get Shivers, a local burger place. It was during those years that they introduced me to the oriental chicken salad. I still have to visit Shivers on occasion to get this silly salad which is so easy to make, but reminds me so much of my past.
Ingredients
- Oriental Dressing:
- 3 T honey
- 1 1/2 T Rice wine vinegar
- 1/4 c mayonnaise
- 1 t dijon mustard
- 1/4 t sesame seed oil
- Salad:
- 2 boneless chicken breasts
- 2 T oil for frying
- 1 egg
- 1/2 c milk
- 1/2 c flour
- 1/2 c cornflakes, crushed
- 3 c chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 c chopped red cabbage
- 1 c chopped Napa cabbage
- 1/2 c shredded carrots
- 1 T roasted almonds
- 1/2 c chow mein noodles
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl whisk together ingredients for dressing and set in fridge until ready to use.
- In a medium skillet heat oil on medium heat.
- Prepare the chicken by pounding to about 1/2 inch thick.
- This helps them to cook faster and more evenly.
- In a shallow dish whisk egg and milk together.
- In another shallow dish combine crushed cornflakes and flour.
- Dredge the chicken in the egg/milk mixture then coat well in the cornflakes.
- Place the coated chicken in the hot oil and cook on each side until chicken is no longer pink.
- While the chicken is cooking, prepare the salad by chopping the romaine, and cabbages.
- In a large bowl, toss with shredded carrots, chow mein noodles, and roasted almonds.
- Cut the chicken into bite sized chunks forming a pile in the middle.
- Serve with dressing.
- Recipe: The Recipe Critic: Asian Chicken Salad
Well, if you are looking for a fun side dish or something healthier for a main course, this is the meal for you! The hardest part was frying the chicken, but you could totally use grilled chicken or rotisserie chicken.
Cutting the greens can also take some time but you can easily buy a precut oriental mix and you are good to go. I learned how to cut cabbage on my mission. I was told you cut them in thin slices and then you can trim them to bite size portions. It is an easy way to make a little cabbage go a long way. Plus who really likes eating huge chunks of cabbage?
So if you’re looking for a fun meal idea, this is a great recipe to add to your menu.
Click here for this week’s menu and shopping list.
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