Asian Chicken Cranberry Salad
Toast almonds by laying on a paper towel and microwaving for 1 minute, turning once. Or, toast the sliced almonds under low broil for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown. You can also make your own cabbage mix with green and purple cabbage with a tiny bit of carrots.
Ingredients
- 2 small bags of coleslaw mix, about 12 cups
- 4 cups rotisserie chicken, finely chopped
- 1 ½ cups toasted sliced almonds, or cashews
- 1 ½ cup dried cranberries, I used Orange Cranberries from Trader Joe’s
- ¾ cup red onion, finely diced
- 1 cup sesame sticks, found in the bulk aisle at grocery store – optional
- 1 ½ cups chopped cilantro
- 1-2 small cans mandarin oranges, drained
- ¼ cup black sesame seeds, or regular sesame seeds
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar, regular or you can use white
- 4 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
- 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 4 Tbsp. honey or brown sugar
- 4 Tbsp. minced ginger
- 2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
Equipment
- Blender (I use my Vitamix for so many recipes)
Instructions
- Layer the cabbage in a large bowl with chicken, almonds (or cashews, or both), cranberries, red onion, sesame seeds, sesame sticks (optional), and fresh cilantro. Add the mandarin oranges (optional).
- Combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, honey, ginger, and sesame oil in a blender. Add 3 tablespoons of water. Blend until smooth.
- Lightly pour the dressing over the salad mixture, according to how moist you like the salad. Gently toss and serve. (You may have a little dressing left over.)
Notes
Originally posted January 2015 here on Reluctant Entertainer.