Chinese Chicken Salad

By minicoopercraig

Chinese chicken salad is one of the world's ultimate fusion foods. It's an Eastern-inspired dish popularized by Austrian chef (Wolfgang Puck) in Beverly Hills (at his restaurant Spago back in the 1980's). Whatever its disparate origins, it's undeniably one of the most popular -and ubiquitous-salads in America, sharing space on menus in four-star restaurants and Wendy's alike. Too bad most versions are nutritional disasters, bogged down by too much dressing and too many fried noodles. This lighter version is true to Wolfgang's original inspiration but with about a third of the calories.

Ingredients

• 1 head napa cabbage
• 1/2 head red cabbage
• 1/2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 cups chopped or shredded cooked chicken (freshly grilled or from a store-bought rotisserie chicken)
• 1/2 cup Asian Vinaigrette (search recipes)
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 cup canned mandarin oranges, drained (Make sure they are in water, not syrup.)
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

Slice the cabbages in half lengthwise and remove the cores. Slice them into thin strips. Toss with the sugar in a large bowl.
If the chicken is cold, toss with a few tablespoons of vinaigrette and heat in a microwave at 50% power. Add to the cabbage, along with the cilantro, mandarins, almonds, and remaining vinaigrette. Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.