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Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Chinese Chicken Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette


One of my favorite salads is the Chinese Chicken Salad from Joan's on Third here in LA. I remember when I worked at a production company in Hollywood, every time we ordered from there, I would always get the Chinese Chicken Salad and one of their delicious cupcakes. It was so good. It's been a while since I had it. Plus now-a-days, I try to avoid eating out as much.

To appease my Chinese chicken salad craving, I made my own for dinner several night ago. Let's see this salad consists of a mix of shredded lettuce, carrot, cucumber and parsley. I baked a chicken breast with some seasoning and I pan-fried some wonton strips. You know...those delicious crispy things that Chinese restaurants sometimes serve as an appetizer with their sweet and/or mustard sauce. To bring it all together I made a ginger vinaigrette using fresh grated ginger.

About the seasoning for the chicken, I had gotten a sample of some of Emeril's seasonings. Yes, the guy who yells "BAM!" I received the original and chicken rub seasonings along with some of his brand of chicken stock and horseradish mustard. One of the perks of being a Foodbuzz Featured Publisher is trying out products. I figured I'd try the chicken rub for this. It had my usual chicken seasoning of salt, pepper, and paprika plus some extra spices. But you can make the chicken any way you want. I was really please with the taste. I just rubbed a little olive oil some of the chicken rub and baked for roughly 25min. The result was a nice tender juicy chicken. Yum! I remember I had also gotten a coupon for a free bottle of Nakano rice wine vinegar. I've used them before and I like the taste of it. It just so happened that I was running low on that, so it was perfect timing that I got to use the coupon.

From the picture it seems a lot, but trust me, it's not. The lettuce that makes it look so big. So don't be afraid by this. I'm a small person and this was just the right amount for me. Not too filling and not too light. It was just right.

Serves 2.




Chinese Chicken Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette

1 large chicken breast
salt
pepper
paprika
Olive oil
additional spices (optional)
1/2 head iceberg or romaine lettuce (shredded)
1 carrot (shredded)
1/2 chopped fresh parsley (chopped)
1 medium cucumber (chopped or sliced)

Ginger Vinaigrette:
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp Vegetable oil
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp sesame seeds
salt to season

Wonton Strips:
8 wonton sheets (cut into slices)
canola or peanut oil, if pan-frying
Olive oil, if baking
salt

Note: you can use prepackage salad mix and ready made wonton strips, if you're limited on time.


Preheat your oven to 400˚F

Lightly rub the chicken with a little olive oil and season the with salt, pepper and paprika. you may use your own rub or seasonings.

Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for roughly 25min until chicken is cooked through.

When cooked remove from the oven and cover with foil. Let it sit for 5 min to let the juices redistribute. Cut or shred into pieces before mixing salad together.

At the same time while the chicken in baking, you can make the wonton strips. Cut them into 1/2-inch strips.

If pan-frying, coat the bottom of skillet with a good drizzle of oil (1/4-inch deep) on a med to high heat. When the oil is really hot drop in strip for 5-10 sec, flip if needed then place on a paper towel to drain off excess oil. Season with a little salt

If baking, lightly grease a baking sheet, layout the strip and brush or drizzle some olive oil and sprinkle a little salt over the strips. Bake for 3-5 min on a 400˚F oven. Or 2-3 in the broiler.

For the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.


Putting it all together:

Mix the lettuce, carrot, parsley and cucumber. Top or mix in the chicken and wonton strips.
The vinaigrette MUST be added right before serving.


35 comments:

Unknown said...

What a great salad! I love it how u made your own crunchy noodles with wonton strips, very clever. Now u have to make the matching cupcake ;), we can't be all about healthy salads u know :)

Denise said...

My favorite chinese salad comes from Th Cheesecake Factory. It would be fun to try it at home. Looks so good and a ginger vinagrette, yummy.

Anonymous said...

Dear Jenn!
I'm goinf to steal that recipe and ask the Missus to do it!LOL
Cheers,
Robert-Gilles

Donna-FFW said...

Oh! This looks absolutely delicious. And the ginger viniagrette, packed with yummy flavor!!

Anonymous said...

Mmm. yummy!

Heather S-G said...

What an awesome meal. I love ginger anything...and the wonton strips must add an awesome contrasing crunch! Yummy :D

Admin said...

My favorite salad! It's the ginger flavor and the wanton strips that make it special.

Nutmeg Nanny said...

BAM this looks great! Haha ok that was cheesy but seriously it looks great:) Fried wonton strips are my favorite...yum!

Andrea@WellnessNotes said...

I used to eat Chinese Chicken Salad all the time at a restaurant near the place I used to work. This looks great and will bring back some memories... I have to remember this recipe for "Salad Friday."

Phyllis said...

Mmmm...yummy! I love the big slices of chicken, I'm so used to having shredded chicken with this type of salad. I bet it was good with the Emeril spice blend (I'm making a steak sandwich tonight using Emeril's signature spice recipe)

Bob said...

Looks great! I would love a nice salad right now, it's been over 90 and humid here for days.

Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction said...

Sounds tasty - I have a stand-by Asian ginger/sesame vinaigrette that I always buy, and I have been meaning to make my own. I will give your recipe a try!

Mary Bergfeld said...

This is a favorite salad of mine. I love your "theme and variation>" This looks luscious.

Jamie said...

Oh this is a great salad! I love it. And strangely I have some of that Emeril's chicken seasoning. Yay! This vinaigrette sounds fabulous! And I agree with Heavenly Housewife - where's the cupcake?

Justin said...

i really like the idea of the wonton strips with this

chow and chatter said...

great salad Jenn

Pam said...

I may just make this for dinner tonight. Mmmm.

Jenn said...

HH: I'll feature the cupcake soon.

Denise: It is!

R-G, hummingbird: :-)

Donna: Thanks

Girlichef: Thanks.

Leela: Yes, it does.

Nutmeg: LOL. Same here. I always save them for last.

Andrea: I like that "salad friday"

Phylis: Nice. I'd love to try the steak blend.

Bob: This salad is definitely perfect for humid days.

Jen: Save you some money. Make it at home. ;-)

Mary: Thanks.

Jamie: hehe...Cupcake is coming soon. ;-)

Palidor said...

Very nice. I like the combination of paprika on the chicken, and the ginger vinaigrette.

vanillasugarblog said...

it's the wonton strips and the sauce that makes this perfect. I can see why you craved it all the time; the textures and flavors going on...

lisaiscooking said...

The ginger vinaigrette sounds great, and the wonton strips are the best!

Diana said...

I ADORE the chinese chicken salad from Joan's! When I was in the industry we also used to order from there all the time. It's still one of my favorite places for lunch in LA, though now I try to limit myself to take-out orders of the tuna salad and the occasional lemon bar/magic bar. YUM.

Jenn said...

Justin, Chow and chatter: Thanks.

Pam: I Think you should, too.

Palidor, Lisa: Thanks.

Dawn: I'm craving it right now.

Diana: Gotta love Joan's. ;-)

Sweta (My Indian Dietitian) said...

I've never tried this before-but I think I'm going to love it :)

Sasha said...

Mm. I like : )

Reeni said...

I haven't eaten a salad like this in so long - years! I have to have one now!!!! This looks so incredibly delicious!

Michelle @ A Shade of Gray said...

Chinese Chicken Salad is one of my very faves! Have you ever read Bakerella's blog? Ok, you are to savory food what she is to baked goods! Yum!!!!!

theUngourmet said...

I could really go for some of those wonton strips! I love this kind of salad!

Jenn said...

Sweta: I think you would, too.

Sasha: ;-)

Delicious: Go for it. This is really easy to make.

Michelle: Hehe...Thanks for the compliment. I follow bakerella. I love the recipes she comes out with.

Anonymous said...

The salad looks awesome! I love the recipe for the Ginger Vinaigrette, very delicious!

Jenn said...

5 Star: Thanks.

Lori Lynn said...

Oh I signed up for the Emeril package too, but I guess it was gone quickly. Did not get it.

Glad you got it and this looks fabulous.
Bam! Bam!
LL

Jenn said...

LL: Thanks

the wicked noodle said...

YUM!! This looks fabulous. I could eat anything with ginger!

Jenn said...

Wicked: Me, too.

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