CRISPY CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD

Crispy Chinese Chicken Salad image

A light and delicious salad for hot summer days or nights. If desired, substitute a 1/4 cup of lightly toasted almond slivers for the fried rice sticks.

Provided by DaleInCO

Time 1h

Yield 2 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 14

Ingredients

1/3 cup light soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons coarse ground garlic powder
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 ounces dry rice sticks (available in the Asian section at most grocery stores or Asian markets)
oil (for deep frying)
1 1/2 cups iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 1/2 cups napa cabbage, shredded
1/4 cup carrot, shredded
1/2 cup celery, sliced thick
6 scallions, sliced, white and light green parts only
6 ounces sesame ginger salad dressing, store bought
1/4 teaspoon sriracha sauce (to taste)

Steps:

Prepare the marinade in a bowl. Rinse the chicken breast halves, pat dry with paper towels and pierce them with a needle type tenderizing tool such as the Deni tenderizing tool. Add the chicken breast halves to the bowl of marinade, toss to coat, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator till the grill is ready.
Heat the oil in a deep fryer or a deep cast iron skillet to 400 degrees F. If using a skillet, add enough oil to at least 1 inch deep with oil. Gently separate the rice sticks as much as you can and drop into the hot oil. It should only take a second or two for the rice sticks to completely puff up. Remove from oil and immediately drain on paper towels and set aside.
In a small bowl, mix the sesame-ginger salad dressing and desired amount of Sriracha sauce, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator till needed.
Prepare an outdoor grill for grilling. Grill the chicken till the juices run clear and the meat is no longer pink (internal temperature of 165 degrees F). Remove the cooked meat from the grill and allow the meat to rest for 5 minutes. Shred the meat with a couple of forks, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator till the rest of the salad is prepared.
Rinse and shred the lettuce and cabbage then divide it between two serving bowls. Top each salad serving with equal amounts of shredded carrots, sliced celery, sliced scallions and shredded cooked chicken. Pour the salad dressing over each serving and top each serving with and equal amount of fried rice sticks.