#TheSaladBar for September: Asian Salads...Featuring Asian Chopped Chicken Salad

This month, I challenged #TheSaladBar participants to create delicious salads with Asian flavors. I can't wait to see what everyone's sharing today! Here in Texas, it's still quite warm in the afternoons...so we're still eating main dish salads for dinner. For this month's theme, I created Asian Chopped Chicken Salad. It features all of my favorite Asian flavors in one big bowl of chopped goodness. It contains Asian-spiced chicken tenderloins, a convenient bag of pre-chopped veggies, mandarin oranges, cashews, coconut chips, wonton crisps and a lovely miso ginger vinaigrette. This salad is a busy cook's best friend, because it's ready to serve in 30 minutes or less! 

I'm not kidding when I say this salad couldn't be easier! Simply place all the ingredients into a large bowl, add store-bought miso ginger dressing...and give it all a toss. This salad features a fabulous combination of flavors and textures. Because the chopped salad mix I used included cabbage, it had a great crunch! I loved this salad so much that I had seconds. You want to make this one ASAP.

Asian Chopped Chicken Salad

a Weekend Gourmet Original

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb. chicken breast tenderloins
• 1 tsp. McCormick Perfect Pinch Asian Seasoning
• 1 tbs. olive oil
• 4 cups chopped salad greens of your choice [I used a bagged mix that contained chopped romaine, cabbage, matchstick carrots and cilantro.] 
• 2-3 sliced green onions
• 1 cup mandarin orange segments
• 3/4 cup cashews [I used Sahale Snack's Sing Buri cashews flavored with pineapple, lemongrass and Chinese chile]
• 1 cup wonton strips (found in the Produce section, near the bagged salads)
• 1/2 cup coconut chips [I used a bag of Dang Toasted Coconut Chips]
• 1/2 cup Bolthouse Farms Miso Ginger Vinaigrette

Directions: 

1. Add the olive oil to a large non-stick skillet over med-high heat. Sprinkle the tenderloins evenly with the Asian seasoning, on both sides. Add salt to taste. Sear the tenderloins until browned and cooked on all sides. Set aside on a cutting board to cool slightly.
2. Add the chopped salad greens, green onions, mandarin oranges, cashews, wonton strips, and coconut chips to a large mixing bowl. Add the chopped chicken and pour the dressing over the top. 
3. Use tongs to toss, making sure everything is well mixed and evenly covered with the miso ginger dressing. Serve on well-chilled plates. Makes 3-4 main dish servings. Good pairings include pan-fried Asian dumplings or takeout egg rolls. 

This salad was a perfect late-Summer dinner this week! We loved all the flavors and textures going on in each bite. The crunchy cashews, coconut chips and wonton strips worked nicely with the chopped greens. The mandarin oranges added a nice citrus punch...and the tender chicken provided filling protein. And the dressing? We loved it! It had a slightly nutty flavor from the miso, and the ginger gave it a nice zing. I can't wait to make this salad again and again.

Wait until you see all the fabulous Asian-inspired salads that the rest of this month's #TheSaladBar participants are sharing. They're all very creative and delicious, so I hope you'll click the links below to check out their creations!

Disclosure: The McCormick seasoning, Sahale Snacks nuts, Bolthouse Farms dressing and Dang Coconut Chips were provided to me by the manufacturers to develop this recipe. I received no further compensation, and the opinions stated are my own.

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