#ad Who Doesn’t Love Great Chicken Recipes? My Awesome Chinese Chicken Salad Recipe

I do a lot of cooking and I am always looking for great chicken recipes to try out. When you prepare homemade meals every night, you get really tired of the same old thing, or should I say… my kids are really tired of the same old thing. We’ve tried everything from having them choose a meal each night to having them actually cook a meal once a week… it always comes back to me. Mom has to cook or we don’t eat. 

So I’ve been trying hard to plan out meals that are a little different. It isn’t easy since everyone likes different things. We don’t eat a ton of meat, and I hate serving pasta too often, so chicken is usually our go-to protein source. It’s been a really long time since I made a Chinese Chicken Salad so I thought it might be a good idea to put on the menu this week. It’s one of the things everyone actually loves.

But wait! Did I mention I have Chinese Chicken Salad issues? Don’t laugh… I do. It’s one of my favorite meals, but I am super picky about my salad. There are only two restaurants in Los Angeles that make Chinese Chicken Salads that I love. I’ve worked really hard to come up with the same recipe at home… and even though it isn’t exactly what you get in the restaurant… it’s pretty darn close.

The trick is getting really good chicken. I’ve tried all different kinds from roasting to broiling to grilling.  I’ve tried some pre-packaged chicken too because let’s face it, who has time to cook chicken at the last minute? I wasn’t sure how it would taste, but the Tyson Grilled and Ready chicken is pretty awesome. It really tastes like you just cooked it yourself, which is super important when using it in salads. Even my daughter, the Chef wanna-be, said it tasted really good. If you can please Temera, you can please anyone. You can pick The Tyson chicken up for $2.50 a bag at Walmart… you know, because I practically live at Walmart. Can you still buy stock in Walmart? Because I think I need to do that.

So back to my salad. Flavor is everything when you are blending ingredients. You need to start with great ingredients and make sure they all work well together. That’s really the secret to a great chef… knowing how ingredients will play off each other’s textures and flavors. I think I’ve got the right mix for this recipe.

Ingredients (Salad):

2 - 6 oz. bags Tyson Grilled & Ready Fully Cooked Oven Roasted Diced Chicken Breast
1 head of iceberg lettuce, shredded OR 2 - 8 oz. bags of prepackaged shredded lettuce
1/4 cup chopped scallions (green onions)
1 cup shredded carrots
Crispy noodles (I use fried Saifon noodles)
Toasted almonds (optional)

Ingredients (Dressing):

1/8 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. powdered ginger
1 tbs. sugar
dash of chili flakes (to taste)
dash of salt (to taste)

For the salad, you’ll want to mix all the ingredients into a large bowl, except the Saifon noodles. The noodles need to be fried in oil (directions are on the package) or else you won’t be able to bite into them.  You can use whatever type of crispy Asian noodles you like, but you’ll definitely want to have that crunch in your salad.

For the salad dressing, blend all the ingredients in a bowl using a whisk. Use immediately over salad or plan to whisk again each time you use it. The oil will separate from the rest of the liquids if you don’t.

If you want to save the salad to use later, don’t mix with the dressing until ready to eat. The dressing will wilt the salad… which is actually pretty awesome if you like that stuff.

From now until June 16, when you purchase two Tyson Grilled & Ready products and submit your receipt by 6/16/14, you can receive two free BLENDED movie tickets while supplies last. BLENDED is in theaters May 23 and stars Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. So you get some great chicken AND movie tickets in one. Dinner and a movie… awesome!

 

Enjoy your #TysonMovieTicket promotion. I know I will!

Thanks #CollectiveBias for the opportunity to try out Tyson Grilled & Ready products. Check out their website for the entire product line and follow on Facebook for up to date Grilled & Ready information.