Chinese Chicken Salad

This Chinese Chicken Salad is great! I fell in love with the sweet and crunchy flavors of the salad when a family friend brought it over for a potluck dish to our housewarming party back in 2001. I've changed it up a bit over the years but we love it and it's always a hit with friends and family. The boys love it and they'll eat all their veggies with a little Chinese dressing poured over it. When I add all the fixins, this salad is just as good as any Chinese Chicken Salad from a restaurant. Maybe even better. For reals.

I ate my cabbage salad without the toppings and it was very yummy nonetheless.

I usually add a bunch of ingredients to round out the salad but I was in the mood for a simple salad.

If you make a cabbage salad, it will keep well even after it's been tossed in dressing.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 bag coleslaw mix of cabbage and carrots (green leaf lettuce tastes great, too)
• 1 small can mandarin orange slices, drained (or diced apples)
• 3-4 green onions, chopped
• 1-2 cooked chicken breasts, sliced or shredded (or cubed firm tofu)
• 2.25 oz package almonds, sliced/slivered and toasted (I omit due to Son #2's allergies)
• 1-2 tbs sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 package Top Ramen (I use chicken flavor), crumble DRY noodles and toast (use seasoning packet for dressing, optional...salad dressing recipe below)

Directions:

1. Make Chinese dressing (see recipe below) and refrigerate. Dressing tastes great if made a day in advance.
2. Toast almonds, sesame seeds and crumbled DRY noodles until slightly browned. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, add all salad ingredients but reserve a little bit of the ingredients for garnish. Makes for a nice presentation when you add remaining ingredients after the salad's been tossed. :)
4. Add 1/8 c dressing (more or less to taste) and toss well. If unsure of dressing amount, always start with a little to avoid drowning your salad.
5. Transfer to serving bowl, garnish with remaining ingredients and ENJOY!

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Then, there's the dressing. It's SO darn delicious!

This dressing is great on salad, veggies and as a marinade, too.

This is TASTY dressing! It's so easy to make and tastes just as good as store-bought. Actually, I think it tastes better! I've made the dressing with and without the Top Ramen seasoning packet and both versions taste great. To cut down on the amount of sodium, I've been omitting the seasonings lately and nobody's called me out on it yet. This is your typical Chinese salad dressing from the restaurants. At least I think so. ;)

This dressing is great on veggies, too. We invited our friends over for dinner and I made a side of asparagus and tossed it with Chinese dressing. It was the perfect side dish to serve with grilled General Tso's chicken thighs. Just cook the asparagus and toss in dressing. Easy and delicious! YUM.

Chinese Dressing

Yield: ~ 6 oz

Ingredients:

• 2 tbs sesame oil
• 2 tbs sugar
• 6 tbs rice vinegar
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• salt and pepper to taste (or use Top Ramen Chicken Flavor seasoning packet)

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients in a container with lid. One with a pour spout works great.
2. Shake well and keep refrigerated. ENJOY!

Source: Adapted from family friend, M.V..