Chinese Chopped Salad

Entrée salads are always a big hit in my house. Whether it’s because I want to break up the heavier meals with something lighter or it’s just so dang hot, having hot food just doesn’t sound right. This entrée salad is loaded with lots of veggies and super flavorful chicken. But you are gonna really flip for the Honey Hoisin Dressing. Chinese Chopped Salad definitely needs to be on your next weekly menu plan!

A chopped style salad is different from other entrée salads, mostly in presentation. In lots of entree salads, the ingredients are laid out atop the bed of lettuce with dressing either served on the side or poured over the top. A chopped salad is usually tossed together with smaller cut veggies and dressing. For both, the protein is usually served on top, but sometime in a chopped salad it is also mixed in. That’s just a preference thing.

If you want to take a shortcut on this meal you could use rotisserie chicken from your grocery – mine even offers it already chopped up in the deli section (so it’s cold already). Another good practice is to boil several pounds of chicken at the start of the week, allow it to cool thoroughly, then store it in the refrigerator and use as needed. For this particular recipe, if you are going to use precooked chicken, toss it a mixture of one teaspoon each of salt, pepper, garlic powder and ginger powder.

I know lots of people think salad can’t be a whole meal. But when you load it up with all the hearty veggies and the chicken, it really does become a complete dish. When you are serving up a salad as a whole meal, you want to serve it in a wide shallow bowl, sometimes called a pasta bowl. If you serve it on a flat plate, there tends to be an overboard situation.

Now Let’s Get Cookin’!

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Chinese Chopped Salad

A refreshing fully loaded salad with a zesty Asian dressing

Course Dinner, Salad

Cuisine American, Asian, Chinese

Keyword almonds, carrots, Chicken, chicken salad recipes, cilantro, entree salad, green onion, hoisin dressing, radishes

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 4 cups Romaine Lettuce chopped
• 1 cup Napa Cabbage shredded
• 1 cup Carrots shredded
• 4 Radishes halved and sliced
• 2 Red Bell Peppers julienned
• 6 Green Onions chopped
• 1 cup Cilantro roughly chopped
• ½ cup Slivered Almonds
• ½ cup Wonton Strips
• 2 lb Chicken thighs boneless skinless
• 1 qt Chicken Broth
• 3 Garlic Cloves minced
• 1 tbsp Fresh Garlic grated

For the Honey Hoisin Dressing

• ½ cup Toasted Sesame Oil
• ½ cup Rice Vinegar
• ¼ cup Hoisin Sauce
• ¼ cup Honey
• ¼ cup Soy Sauce
• 1 tsp Ginger Powder
• 1 tbsp Toasted Sesame Seeds
• 1 tsp Dijon Mustard

Instructions

• Add chicken, chicken broth, garlic cloves and ginger to a saucepan over medium-high heat. Let cook for 20 minutes. Remove from broth and chop. Let cool while your prep vegetables.
• Add dressing ingredients to a measuring cup and whisk to combine.
• Add romaine lettuce, cabbage, carrots, cilantro, radishes, red bell peppers, green onions (reserve some for garnish), wonton strips and almonds. Toss to combine, then add ⅔ of the dressing and toss thoroughly.
• Portion out salad mix. Top with portion of chopped chicken. Drizzle with remaining dressing and green onions.