I love salads. They’re delicious, easy to make, AND Ben, my son, likes them. Can you say TRIPLE BONUS?!?!?!
One of his all-time favorites is my Asian Chicken Salad. In fact, it’s so popular with Ben and the rest of my family that over the winter holidays this year, it’s what everyone wanted me to make for one of our dinners together. They had NO arguments from me since this meal is SUPER easy!
And if you want to serve it vegetarian-style, ditch the chicken and just add some shelled edamame, seasoned chickpeas, or tofu and you’ve got a great meal!
So whip up an Asian Chicken Salad with some cabbage or your favorite salad greens. I think you and your whole family will approve! 🙂
Cheers!
Bruce
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Recipe: Asian Chicken Salad
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 -8 1x
Ingredients
Salad:
- I medium head Napa Cabbage (chopped or a mix of your favorite salad greens (about 10 cups))
- 1 + bunch scallions (sliced including green tops (about 1–2 cups or to taste))
- 1 bunch cilantro (remove stems, chopped (about 2–3 cups, reserve some for garnish))
- 1 roasted chicken (torn into pieces)
- Asian Salad Dressing (see below)
Toasted Almonds
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 1–2 T. butter or olive oil
Other Optional toppings:
- Oranges
- Toasted Sesame Seeds
Instructions
- Clean cabbage or salad greens and prep into bite-sized pieces.
- Chop clean, trimmed scallions and cilantro. Reserve some for garnish.
- Toss cabbage/greens, cilantro, and green onions.
- Toast almonds by heating oil or butter in large skillet over medium low heat. Add almonds and brown. Watch them carefully since the almonds can burn rather quickly, especially if you’re not cooking them over a lower heat. Let almonds sit until cool.
- Top salad with almonds, chicken, and a garnish of cilantro. Drizzle with Asian salad dressing to taste.
Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when possible.
If you want to serve this salad vegetarian-style, ditch the chicken and just add some shelled edamame, seasoned chickpeas, or tofu and you’ve got a great meal!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Salads & Sides
- Cuisine: Asian
Asian Salad Dressing
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups or about 16, 2 tablespoon servings 1x
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
- 3/4 cup olive oil or your preferred neutral-tasting salad oil
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 2–3 tablespoons honey (local, raw honey preferred)
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- Blend all the ingredients together. You may want to heat the dressing slightly to mix in the honey more easily.
- Let sit 15-30 minutes for the flavors to bloom, and this dressing is ready to enjoy!
Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when possible.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Dressings & Condiments
- Cuisine: Asian
Kitchen Tips and Resources:
- A high quality set of cutting knives can make a huge difference, especially when you’re cooking REAL food. My local knife shop advised me to invest in the higher quality Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin Signature brand (much higher quality than the J.A. Henckels International brand) and time has proven them right. (To make sure you know which Henckels knives are better, here’s a tip — look for the “twins” on the knives vs. the single guy sporting the trident.) While you can buy these knives online, if you’ve got a local knife/cutlery store, support them instead. I love my local cutlery store and bring my knives in every six months or so to get them maintained with a nice, sharp edge!
- A great, non-slip cutting board is an invaluable kitchen asset when cutting up the vegetables. I upgraded to these Epicurean non-slip boards last summer, and I’ve been really pleased with them.
- A set of stacking serving bowls is a must for any kitchen and perfect for serving all different kinds of salads. I purchased a great set from Crate & Barrel several years ago. Although they don’t sell them any longer, they’ve got some great options here!
