Chinese Chicken Salad with Ginger Sesame Dressing

Sweet oranges, roasted chicken and toasted almonds along with crispy cucumbers, lettuce and cabbage are tossed in a ginger sesame dressing. The combination of flavors and textures was a treat and even my boys devoured this salad. Admittedly, their favorite part was the oranges, but who could blame them?

Chinese Chicken Salad with Ginger Sesame Dressing
recipe adapted from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice

SALAD Ingredients:
1-2 teaspoons olive oil
4 cups romaine lettuce, or other crisp lettuce, thinly sliced or choppped
6 cups Napa cabbage, or Savoy cabbage, thinly sliced
3 cups cooked chicken, chopped or very thinly sliced
1 medium cucumber, peeled and cut into thin bite size pieces
2 navel oranges, peeled and cut into bite size pieces or sectioned like this
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

DRESSING Ingredients:
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced or grated on a microplane
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons hot chili sauce, I used Sriracha
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 scant tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons light flavored olive oil

Whisk together the dressing ingredients and then set aside. Heat an empty large frying pan over medium low heat and toast the sesame seeds. Remove to a separate dish and set aside when lightly browned. Toast the almonds next, tossing them frequently until they are browned as well.

Add just a drizzle of oil to the pan and saute the cabbage just a few minutes, until it is barely wilted and still crisp. It will turn a brighter green color. Remove to a large bowl and toss with tongs to cool it a bit. (Otherwise, it will continue to cook a bit more in the bowl.) In a separate bowl, toss the chopped chicken with a small amount of dressing to coat it lightly.

Add the chicken to the bowl with the cabbage, along with the lettuce, cucumber and oranges. Drizzle with dressing and then toss well to coat everything. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and almonds just before serving.

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