I’ve been making this salad – originally introduced to me in the pre-RG days by my friend Morgan – for years. It was one of our weekly staples, and then I completely forgot about it. For…mmm…a decade? Enter: A longtime reader, Krissy, who said that she could no longer find the recipe on my site, and asked if I’d repost.
I’ll do better than that: I’ll re-shoot! Because it makes for an excellent excuse to, you know, make Crunchy Chicken Salad.
(My daughter says she “doesn’t like salad.” But I shall explain to her that this is not salad, it’s SALAD. With exclamation points!)
CRUNCHY CHICKEN SALAD WITH SOY-GINGER DRESSING serves 4-6
What you need:
- 2 packages chicken tenderloins
- Garlic powder
- Season salt
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 1 bag coleslaw
- 2 ripe avocados, cubed
- 4 mandarin oranges, peeled and divided
- 1 handful cilantro, roughly chopped
- About 1 cup romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
- 2 big handfuls crunchy chow mein noodles
For dressing:
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp Sriracha (you can use more or less depending on how spicy you like things, but I’m not into spicy foods at all and this was the perfect amount for me)
- 2 tbsp orange juice
- 1 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 3/4 cup good olive oil
What you do:
1. First, heat some olive oil in a saucepan. Season the chicken tenderloins generously with garlic powder and season salt and saute until cooked through. Let cool and then cut into smaller pieces. (You can also cut up the raw tenderloins into smaller pieces before cooking, but I find that cooking them this way makes them more tender.)
2. Meanwhile, roast your asparagus. Trim the ends, drizzle with olive oil and salt, and cook in a 400F oven for about 5-8 minutes, depending on thickness (test with a fork). Let cool slightly, then cut into 1/2″ pieces.
3. Combine all the dressing ingredients (except for the olive oil) in a small bowl, then slowly whisk in the olive oil.
4. In a big bowl, toss together the chicken pieces, asparagus pieces, coleslaw, cubed avocado, cilantro, romaine, mandarin slices, and chow mein noodles. Pour over the dressing and toss to combine.
