Fit Fridays: Asian Chicken Salad

Our weight loss challenge continues. Luke and I were actually in the lead until we realized our Ikea scale may have been slightly incorrect. Sigh. We bought a new scale and don’t really like the number it is reading. Anyway, we’re continuing to eat healthy.

I’m a huge Giada De Laurentiis fan. She really got me into cooking while I was on bed rest with my first born (my soon to be 7 year old). I love her recipes. They are so tasty and so easy to make. Her Asian Chicken Salad is one of my favorites. It is a great lunch for your girlfriends or to serve the moms during a playdate. It is also a great meal. I actually served it last night after we ate a heavy lunch while at the museum in Boston.

Asian Chicken Salad
Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

Salad:

1 large carrot, peeled

3 cups shredded napa cabbage, from 1 small cabbage

3 cups shredded romaine lettuce, from 1 small lettuce

1 small red bell pepper, seeded and deveined, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons fresh Thai basil leaves or fresh mint leaves, chopped (I use mint)
2 cups thinly sliced store-bought rotisserie chicken (about 2 small chicken breasts)

1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1 tablespoon toasted white or black sesame seeds (I love how the black seeds look)
Dressing:
1/4 cup peanut or vegetable oil (I use vegetable oil)

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, optional

1/2 cup chow mein noodles, for garnish

For the salad: Using a vegetable peeler, shave the carrot and add to a large salad bowl. Stir in the cabbage, lettuce, pepper, Thai basil, chicken, almonds, and sesame seeds.

For the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, if using.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well. Garnish with the chow mein noodles and serve.

I promise it is an effortless salad and so tasty. The chow mein noodles add such a satisfying crunch, but we didn’t have any last night. The mixture of fresh mint, the crunch of cabbage, tangy dressing and toasted almonds satisfies your tastebuds.

Oh, I also wanted to let you all know due to spam comments, I’ve had to change my comment policy. Please let me know if you’re having any trouble commenting. Don’t forget to stop by on Sunday for Silver Pennies Sundays!