Asian Chicken Salad with mandarin oranges, cucumbers, bell peppers, almonds, marinated chicken and an easy homemade dressing.
Happy Monday! It’s going to be a good week! I love that Monday’s give us a fresh start. A new week to get things done and enjoy life. This week I’m going to enjoy every moment with my kids. They’re growing up so fast (I have a three-year-old and a 1 year old).
My three year old is hilarious. He says the funniest things. Last night while eating dinner he says “Seriously Mom, this dinner is YUM”. Whenever I ask him to do something for me–like grab his sister’s binky or put a toy away–he replies “OF COURSE I would do that for you.” He’s the cutest and makes me laugh so much throughout the day.
My one-year-old girl is also adorable, but just learned how to say “NO” and it’s her new favorite word. Eeek. Regardless, I’m trying to soak up every minute with their cuteness–they are both at such fun ages.
Another cute thing about my kids is that they like salad. Especially my 3-year-old. But salads like this are hard not to like, right?!
It’s loaded with tons of yummy ingredients like mandarin oranges, cucumbers and an awesome marinated and grilled chicken. The dressing is super simple and “seriously yum!” as my little boy would say. 😉 Best of all is that you can make it in advance!
I make the dressing, marinate the chicken and chop the salad ingredients in the morning (or you could the night before). Then just grill the chicken and toss the salad together right before you’re ready to eat. Super easy, fresh, healthy and delicious.
Consider trying these popular salad recipes:
- Classic Wedge Salad
- Healthy Chicken Pasta Salad
- Creamy Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad
- Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
- Waldorf Salad
- Thai Quinoa Salad
You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for more great recipes!
Asian Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Marinade and Dressing:
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped ginger
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauces , or more, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 green onions , finely chopped
- 2 boneless, skinless breasts
For the Salad:
- 1 large head romaine or green leafy lettuce , chopped
- 2 cups chopped red, green or napa cabbage
- 1/2 english cucumber sliced
- 1 carrot , shredded
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds or cashews
- 1 bell pepper (any color), chopped
- 11 ounce can mandarin oranges drained
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
For topping:
- Handful Crunchy chow mein noodles or wonton strips , optional
Instructions
Make marinade:
- Whisk together the soy sauce, chopped ginger, olive oil, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, sriracha, and salt.
- Add 3 tablespoon of the marinade to a bowl or large ziplock bag (the rest will be reserved for the dressing). Cut the chicken breasts in half, lengthwise (butterfly), to create 6 thin chicken breast halves. Add to the marinade and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 3-4 hours.
- To the remaining marinade, add red wine vinegar and sliced green onions, to make a dressing for the salad. Refrigerate.
For the salad:
- Add lettuce, cabbage, cucumber, carrots, almonds, bell peppers, mandarin oranges and cilantro to a large bowl.
- Grill the chicken on medium high heat, cooking for about 3 minutes on each side, flipping once, until cooked through.
- Remove to a cutting board and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice the chicken against the grain and add to the salad.
- Pour desired amount of dressing on top and toss to combine. Garnish with crunchy wonton strips or chow mein noodles, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
Elaine says
Really good!
Sierra Sirota says
This is one of the best salads I have ever had! It was the perfect amount for my fiancé and I for dinner. Very filling and delicious!