Asian Chicken Cranberry Salad

Asian Chicken Cranberry Salad

from reluctantentertainer.com
15 min

Toast almonds by laying on a paper towel and microwaving for 1 minute, turning once. Or, toast the sliced almonds under low broil for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown. You can also make your own cabbage mix with green and purple cabbage with a tiny bit of carrots.

Ingredients

  • 2 small bags of coleslaw mix (about 12 cups)
  • 4 cups rotisserie chicken (finely chopped)
  • 1 ½ cups toasted sliced almonds (or cashews)
  • 1 ½ cup dried cranberries (I used Orange Cranberries from Trader Joe’s)
  • ¾ cup red onion (finely diced)
  • 1 cup sesame sticks (found in the bulk aisle at grocery store – optional)
  • 1 ½ cups chopped cilantro
  • 1-2 small cans mandarin oranges (drained)
  • ¼ cup black sesame seeds (or regular sesame seeds)
  • 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup balsamic vinegar (regular or you can use white )
  • 4 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
  • 3-4 cloves garlic (chopped)
  • 4 Tbsp. honey or brown sugar
  • 4 Tbsp. minced ginger
  • 2 tsp. toasted sesame oil

Directions

  1. 1

    Layer the cabbage in a large bowl with chicken, almonds (or cashews, or both), cranberries, red onion, sesame seeds, sesame sticks (optional), and fresh cilantro. Add the mandarin oranges (optional).

  2. 2

    Combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, honey, ginger, and sesame oil in a blender. Add 3 tablespoons of water. Blend until smooth.

  3. 3

    Lightly pour the dressing over the salad mixture, according to how moist you like the salad. Gently toss and serve. (You may have a little dressing left over.)