This salad is full of flavor with Asian-inspired slaw, chicken, tangy vinaigrette, and a cashew crunch. Pair it with a few clementine cuties to add some citrus freshness!
Cut the chicken in half lengthwise so it opens like a butterfly (image below). This will help the chicken cook evenly and faster. Then drizzle, paint, or slap (your choice!) some olive oil on them and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
While the chicken is cooking (about 4 minutes per side), you can start to assemble the salad ingredients (and ew, David! Wash your cutting board!*).
*for you Schitt’s Creek fans
Chopping Tips:
- Kale: Remove the leaf from the stem, then chop the leaf. You don’t want to eat the stem, it’s hard to digest.
- Cabbage: Place the bottom nub of cabbage on the cutting board and cut in half. Lay the flat part on the cutting board and chop about ¼” – ½” of “slices” from the top of the head to the bottom nub. Now cut the slices perpendicularly and you’ve got yourself shredded cabbage.
- Carrots: Nothing beats big carrots freshly grated but honestly, be kind to yourself and buy a bag of pre-shredded carrots.
Key Ingredients:
- Kale is higher in vitamin C than most other greens and (brace yourself) 3x more than spinach and collard greens! Vitamin C aids in the synthesis of collagen (plus other things but collagen is kind of a priority for me at the moment).
- Cabbage is low in calories yet considered a good source for fiber and other key vitamins.
- Carrots do so much more than preserve your vision but also boosts brain, heart, and skin health. Who knew the fountain of youth was really carrot juice?
Chinese Cashew Chicken Salad
This salad is full of flavor with Asian-inspired slaw, chicken, tangy vinaigrette, and a cashew crunch.
Servings 5 salads
INGREDIENTS
Chicken
- 5 cups chicken chopped (about 2-3 breasts)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
Salad
- 5 cups kale chopped (about a bundle, maybe less)
- 3 cups purple cabbage shredded (half cabbage head)
- 2 cups carrots shredded
- ¼ cup green onions chopped
- ½ cup cashews chopped (raw or roasted)
Salad Dressing
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey (this helps bind the oil and vinegar)
- ½ tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 clove garlic chopped (about 1/2 teaspoon)
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes optional
INSTRUCTIONS
Chicken
- Rinse your chicken and pat dry with a paper towel.
- Cut chicken lengthwise, drizzle or brush on oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Heat up a pan on the stove and coat with 1-2 tsp of oil. Cook first side of the chicken for 4 minutes. Flip and cook for 3-4 minutes (or until internal temperature reaches about 160℉. It will continue to cook to 165℉ when resting.)
- Let chicken rest for about 5 minutes then chop into bite size pieces. If you're noticing a little pinkness in the chicken when chopping, place the bits on a plate and pop it in the microwave for 15 second intervals.
Salad
- Chop kale, red cabbage, carrots, green onions and throw into a large bowl. Add chicken and mix it all together.
- Chop cashews. A) If you're serving immediately, mix in with the salad.B) If you're meal prepping, do NOT place in bowl. They'll get soggy. You can place these nuts in a separate container to sprinkle on when it's eating time. Or! I like to wrap individual portions in cling wrap or a sandwich bag and place in my lunch containers.
Salad Dressing
- Place all ingredients in a jar and give it a good shake.
Assembly
- If not serving immediately, evenly distribute into your meal prep containers.
TIPS + TRICKS
Substitutions coming soon!
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECEIPE?Leave a comment below and share a photo on Instagram! Mention @going.nanners or tag #goingnanners!
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