Asian Chicken Salad

This salad was absolutely delicious! We try a lot of new recipes and some are great, but only a few make it into the regular rotation. This is one of those special dishes that we both love. Full of fresh ingredients, flavorful chicken, and crunchy chow mein noodles, Asian chicken salad is a bright, yummy, and easy dish to throw together any night of the week. While we loved all the flavors, we might try to give it a Thai spin next time by changing up the marinade just a little with the addition of red pepper flakes and peanut butter instead of Chinese 5-Spice seasoning, which has a licorice-y flavor. That's another nice thing about this dish-you can change it up to fit your taste very easily. Again though, we loved this one!

Asian Chicken Salad
*Adapted from Pinch of Yum

For the chicken:
2 chicken breasts
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ginger (or 1 tablespoon minced ginger)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons Chinese 5-Spice seasoning

1/4 cup chopped green onions
2-3 cups coleslaw or shredded lettuce
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1-2 cups shredded carrots
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
2 cups cooked, shelled edamame (it's called mukimame when you buy it pre-shelled and is much more convenient in steam bags for easy cooking)
2 cups crunchy chow mein noodles
Toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Salad dressing of your choice (I used Litehouse toasted sesame ginger)

Whisk together the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sugar, and 5-spice seasoning. Marinate the chicken in the sauce for at least 1 hour. Bake chicken with the sauce at 400º for 20-30 minutes, turning occasionally, until cooked through. Let cool and shred.

Toss chicken, green onions, coleslaw, almonds, carrots, cilantro, edamame, and sesame seeds together.

Serve tossed with salad dressing and top with crunchy chow mein noodles. Enjoy!

Great Aunt Janice's Thai Salad

My mom and I went to Nebraska a few weeks ago for a family reunion. We surprised everyone by coming, as my immediate family doesn't travel much and often misses these family celebrations. Not anymore, let me tell you! We had so much fun at the reunion and I got to spend time with family members I'd never met before. I have some wonderful relatives and I finally know where my sense of humor and quick laughter comes from: my entire family! It was a blessing to get to see everyone and I'm already counting down the days for the next reunion. In two years.

Now, on to the recipe. This one is from my Great Aunt Janice. She brought this to the reunion and as soon as I had some, I knew I had to make it for Nick. It had all the spiciness and deliciousness that accompanies most Thai food and I love that it is a cold salad, meaning it makes a great side dish at a barbeque or picnic. Nick LOVED it, and it was a snap to put together-a big plus! Thanks Aunt Janice!!

Thai Salad
*From Great Aunt Janice

16-ounce package angel hair pasta
6 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/4 cup cooking oil (I used canola)
3 green onions
1 bunch of cilantro, to taste
1 cup peanuts
2 tablespoons red pepper flakes (UPDATE: We ground the red pepper flake to make it finer and used about 1/2 tablespoon for mild to medium heat, which was perfect for us. Use more for more heat!)

Mix the honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, and canola oil in a bowl.

Boil the pasta in salted water to al dente or according to package directions. Drain the pasta and place in a large serving bowl. Pour the honey and soy sauce mixture over the top.

Finely chop the green onions.

Chop up the cilantro.

Add the chopped cilantro and green onions to the pasta. Mix well.

Chop up peanuts. This is optional, but I prefer pieces to whole peanuts. Mix the peanuts and red pepper flakes together in a small bowl.

Add the peanuts and red pepper flakes to the noodles right before serving and mix to incorporate well. (Update: We just add the peanuts and ground red pepper flake to the pasta right away. It doesn't affect the consistency either way, but it's more convenient to do it all at once.)

Enjoy!

Sesame Cilantro Chicken

I think Nick and I have been a little spoiled in our chicken recipes lately. Each one has been turning out pretty good and we've learned that a fat component is really important when it comes to flavor. And texture, apparently. Today's meal came from a Taste of Home Cooking magazine featuring cooking light recipes. I'm always game to try a healthy recipe, although my Southern roots balk at a dish without gobs of butter. Just kidding. A little. This recipe had a delicious sauce, but the chicken was lacking in texture. As much as my thighs are screaming at me to just walk away and consider this one a so-so dish, I'm going to rework it soon by doing a quick fry on the chicken coated with breadcrumbs and sesame seeds. I'll finish it in the oven and then toss the chicken in the sauce. So much for cooking light. I'll post the new recipe once I get it all figured out. In the meantime, here's this one for those of you who are more health-conscious than me.

Sesame Cilantro Chicken
*From Taste of Home Cooking

4 chicken breasts
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce (I used regular)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted (I used 2 tablespoons)

First, toast your sesame seeds in a skillet over medium heat. They should turn a little brown and become fragrant. Place chicken in a baking dish coated with cooking spray. Combine the honey, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and cilantro in a small bowl.

Spoon 1/4 cup of the mixture over the chicken. Set aside the remaining mixture.

Cover the chicken and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 170 degrees. Spoon the reserved mixture over the chicken and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve hot.

Sesame Chicken

Or a reason to get up in the morning! This was SO GOOD! Nick and I get a little burned out on chicken sometimes, but this is a recipe that you could never get burned out on. It's that amazing. Infinitely better than frozen breaded chicken tenders with layers of wonderful flavors. It's crispy and spicy and full of sesame seeds. And the best part of this recipe? It's easy as . . . well, popping chicken tenders in the oven!

Sesame Chicken

4 chicken breasts (I used 8 chicken tenders), thawed
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 1/2 heaping tablespoons Chinese garlic chili sauce
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Olive oil

In a medium bowl, combine chicken, sesame oil, and garlic chili sauce. Toss to combine and place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place a nonstick pan on medium heat and add the oil; heat until almost smoking. In another bowl add breadcrumbs, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and sesame seeds. Toss to combine. Using tongs, place the chicken into the crumb mixture and coat well. Place the chicken in the hot pan and cook until golden (2 to 3 minutes) and flip. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes on the other side.

Place the whole pan in the oven and bake 10-15 minutes (7-8 minutes for chicken tenders) or until the internal temperature of the chicken in 160 degrees. Rest for 10 minutes before serving.