We eat a LOT of salads, and it can be a struggle to come up with something new. I’ve made tons of Asian food as well – but not usually paired with salad. When I saw the recipe that inspired me to make this hybrid I wasn’t sure how it would turn out. It was such a big hit with everyone, we will definitely make it again and again.
The first thing you want to do is make a very simple salad. I took a large mixing bowl and added 2 grated carrots, 1 head of finely chopped romaine lettuce, 1/2 head of chopped iceberg lettuce, and 2 cups of chopped baby spinach. Mix and set aside.
Then make a simple dressing for the salad:
3 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp raw organic honey
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp sesame oil
fresh grated pepper to taste
1 clove fresh chopped garlic or 1 tsp garlic powder (not salt)
Mix the dressing well, set aside – don’t mix with lettuce mixture until serving time.
Ingredients for the Chicken
1 lb fresh ground chicken
3 tbsp cashew halves
1 can drained water chestnuts
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/4 Hoisin sauce (asian BBQ sauce)
2 tbsp Sriracha sauce (any brand)
2 tbsp soy sauce (we use the low sodium kind)
2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
about 3 green onions, chopped
Next you need 1 lb of fresh ground chicken. Place a medium sized skillet on med-high heat for 2 min with 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil – then add ground turkey and chop up in the pan with spatula.
While the chicken is cooking chop up the cashews and set aside, and open the can of water chestnuts, drain, and set aside. In a small mixing bowl mix the hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, sriracha sauce, soy sauce, and freshly grated ginger. Chop the green onions, and add to the sauce mixture.
What you’re going to do is cook the chicken 8-10 minutes on med-high heat until done, and then add the water chestnuts and cashews, along with the sauce. Mix well, and cook an additional 2 minutes, and remove from heat.
Add the simple dressing the the salad and mix well – then add the salad to serving bowls. Add about 1 cup portions of the meat mixture on top of the salad in each bowl and serve immediately. This is a spicy recipe (for some), you could leave out the Sriracha sauce to make it a little less potent. However, it’s packed with so much flavor – I would recommend trying it spicy. It really makes the dish what it is.
Enjoy!
