Chinese Chicken Salad - 5 stars!

i am cheating, and bypassing thanksgiving. it'll be a long post, and i'm not in the mood for it now. :)

this is my meal tonight! again, i definitely need to find a more attractive way to photograph my salads. photography is not something i'm good at. any suggestions?

this salad was AMAZING. it was better than i expected. i marinated the chicken breast in some asian sesame 30 minute marinade (yes, i cheated), then grilled it. i did make the dressing from scratch (including fresh minced ginger and garlic), so i figure that makes up for my bottled marinade. i got some chinese cabbage for tony, but i just used plain old romaine in mine. not a cabbage fan.

i topped it with fresh sliced green onion, red bell pepper, shredded carrots, mandarin oranges, and of course, chow mein noodles (out of can - greasy but good!). i also tossed in some fresh cilantro and mint. i believe that's what put this salad far above any other chinese chicken salad i've ever made / eaten. YUM! oh, and i squeezed fresh lime juice over the top. what a difference those three things made! (fresh cilantro, mint and lime juice)

Chinese Chicken Salad Dressing:

¼ c vegetable oil
2 tbls apple cider vinegar
1 ½ tbls soy sauce
2 generous tsp dark sesame oil
1 generous tsp honey
½ garlic clove, minced
¼ tspn minced fresh ginger
1 generous tsp sesame seeds
2 tbls smooth peanut butter
1 tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp black pepper

Whisk together and pour over salad. Toss well to combine.