Easy Chinese Chicken Salad

This Chinese chicken salad is a colorful and tasty way to use up some leftover chicken and makes for a light lunch. I experimented with few different dressings and ultimately settled on this one which I think is just the right balance of soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil. Do you have a favorite Chinese chicken salad dressing? Please let us know about it in the comments.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into strips
  • Salt
  • 1 Tbsp dark sesame oil
  • 1 Tbsp canola or peanut oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 head of iceberg lettuce or Napa cabbage, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 sweet bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 3-4 scallions, sliced
  • 1 carrot, julienned
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves, chopped
  • 1/2 cup roasted peanuts
  • Chow mein noodles, to taste (skip for gluten-free option)

Dressing:

  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce for gluten-free option)
  • 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon mustard powder
  • 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 Tbsp dark sesame oil
  • 1/4 cup peanut or canola oil

1 Sauté the chicken: Heat both oils over high heat in a large sauté pan for 1 minute, then add the red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds.

Pat dry the chicken strips, sprinkle them with a little salt, and add them to the pan. Stir-fry the chicken over high heat until cooked through, 3-6 minutes depending on how hot your burner gets. Remove and set aside to cool.

2 Make dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Adjust seasonings to taste.

3 Toss salad to serve: In a large bowl, toss the chicken and salad ingredients together. Just before serving, toss with dressing and top with the chow mein noodles.