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.