Not Your Average Chicken Salad

I am totally a creature of habit. If my schedule is out of wack my whole life is out of wack. Control freak much?! In order to maintain order I do a few things to ensure that I get back to sanity quickly. One of those things is menu planning. Grant it – there's two of us so we don't have to do a ton of meal prep and meal planning, but I do like to have a sense of what we're going to eat for lunch and dinner 3 to 4 days out of the week. This recipe makes the list every week. 

Asian Chicken Salad comes from a recipe my mom used to make for us during the summer. I've adapted it, made it a little healthier and simpler. If this doesn't start making your weekly rotation, you're crazy. What's nice is you can make it Sunday night and it only gets better with age. It'll stay fresh in the fridge for at least 3 days (not that it ever makes it that long in our household). It's a basic recipe with a homemade dressing, some fresh cabbage, a few pine nuts, green onions, and chicken. We've also subbed the chicken for seared tuna and it's fabulous!

We've really been focused on eating healthy 6 days a week and this recipe ticks all of our major categories. It's quick, easy, cheap, and healthy. Sometimes it's hard to find a healthy lunch that isn't boring or the same ol' same. We stay away from sandwiches because of the carbs and preservatives. I get sick of spinach salads day after day. Hot meals take so long. Pre-prepared meals are always so expensive. This is basically the opposite of all those things. 

Do you have any meal planning meals that you love? If so - share them in the comments below!

This recipe is so simple. Start by making the dressing, then add the dressing to the cabbage. Next, add the chicken and green onions, shake it up and let the cabbage start mellowing in the dressing. While that's happening toast your pine nuts in the butter. It seems like a lot of butter for the pine nuts, but this is also going to help add depth to the dressing. While the nuts are still hot, add them to the cabbage mixture and cover with a lid. That little bit of heat will help the dressing coat the cabbage and chicken. Give it a good shake and either enjoy then or let sit in the fridge. 

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Asian Chicken Salad

INGREDIENTS

Dressing

2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

1 tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar

3 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar

1/3 cup Olive Oil

2 tablespoons Sesame Oil

2 teaspoons Garlic Powder

Big pinch of Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

Lemon Pepper to taste

Toppings

1 tablespoon of Butter

1/4 cup Pine Nuts

2 to 3 Green Onions

The Base

(2) 14 oz bag of Cabbage

2 to 3 Chicken Breast or 1 Whole Rotisserie Chicken

INSTRUCTIONS

Make the dressing in the base of the bowl, or if making ahead a small container with a lid. 

To make the dressing, combine the balsamic, rice wine, and apple cider vinegars with the olive oil, sesame oil, garlic powder, salt, and peppers. Whisk until emulsified.

Next, over medium heat toast the pine nuts until golden brown. Toss with a pinch of salt.

Finally dice the green onions.

Combine the cabbage and chicken in a large bowl. 

Next, add the dressing. Give it all a good toss. 

Finally, add the pine nuts and green onions. 

Mix until well combined. 

Serve and enjoy! (or refrigerate and save for later)