Chinese Chicken Salad

I love having salad for dinner. I always feel so good about my eating habits when we do. I also feel less guilty about the dessert or treat we have right after! Thankfully my kids also love salads for dinner. We have them quite often, and this is one of our favorites. The addition of the fresh cilantro and mint are essential to this salad. It really makes it come alive. I always have fresh herbs in the fridge. When I need a way to use them up before they go bad, I just tear them up and throw them into a salad! It's fantastic. Anyways, back to this salad, the dressing is so delicious. There are lots of different flavors, yet they all come together to produce a fabulous dressing. There is some heat from the chili paste, nothing overwhelming, my 19 month old gobbled it up. The peanut butter adds some richness while the honey brings sweetness, and the acidity from the lime juice balances it all out. Enjoy, I hope it becomes one of your favorites too! Side note, I totally forgot to add the oranges before I took the picture. I wish I hadn't because they not only add so much flavor, they also make the salad look so pretty!




Chinese Chicken Salad
adapted from Food network

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 teaspoon sambal oelek(red chili paste, I find it in the asian section of the supermarket. If you can't find it, you can substitute with chipotle in adobo. I didn't have any of the chili paste and pureed a can of chipotle in adobo and then measured out 2 tsp. I froze the rest in two tsp portions in ice cube trays for the future. I have made it both ways and can't tell a difference)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp lime juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 head Napa cabbage, shredded
1/2 head romaine lettuce, shredded
2 carrots, shredded
1/4 pound sugar snap peas, cut in half
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
2 chicken breasts, cooked and sliced
1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts
1 small can mandarin oranges, drained


Put the vinegar, peanut butter, ginger, sambal oelek, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, lime juice, and canola oil in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Combine cabbage, lettuce, carrots, peas, cilantro, green onion, and mint in a large bowl.


Transfer to a serving platter and top with the sliced chicken, chopped peanuts, and mandarin oranges. Drizzle with the dressing.