This salad took an interesting turn as I was preparing it. I had planned on a run of the mill Asian salad with Chinese noodles, mandarin oranges, etc., but after I made the Asian dressing, I thought it tasted disgusting. So, plan B for a dressing to pair with an Asian salad...
I noticed that I had some leftover Asian sauce from tossing the chicken fingers, so I rooted through the refrigerator and found some ranch dressing I had made a few days earlier. Hmmm? Could this work? I thinned it out a bit with some water and added it to the Asian sauce in the skillet. Yes, it's true that it is quite unconventional to mix a ranch dressing with an Asian one, but it was really good. Seriously, just try it...unless you are one of those people who don't like the food on your plate to touch, in which case you would certainly not appreciate this bizarre mixture of flavors. But everybody else, seriously:
I noticed that I had some leftover Asian sauce from tossing the chicken fingers, so I rooted through the refrigerator and found some ranch dressing I had made a few days earlier. Hmmm? Could this work? I thinned it out a bit with some water and added it to the Asian sauce in the skillet. Yes, it's true that it is quite unconventional to mix a ranch dressing with an Asian one, but it was really good. Seriously, just try it...unless you are one of those people who don't like the food on your plate to touch, in which case you would certainly not appreciate this bizarre mixture of flavors. But everybody else, seriously:
Asian Chicken Salad
Frozen chicken fingers (baked & warm)
Salad mix (any mix you like)
1 can mandarin oranges
1 package Chinese noodles
Salted, roasted peanuts
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups water
1/8 cup rice wine vinegar
3 T soy sauce (I use low sodium)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 garlic clove, minced
Dressing
1 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1-2 oz. water
While the chicken fingers are cooking in the oven, make the Asian sauce that you will toss them in by combining the sugar and cornstarch in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk these dry ingredients together, then add the water, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and garlic and continuing whisking until well combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened. Add an ounce or two of water if the sauce gets too thick; whisk occasionally.
Go ahead and assemble the rest of the salad with the greens, oranges, peanuts and Chinese noodles. Once the chicken fingers are finished cooking, toss them (hot) in the Asian sauce (you will have more sauce than you need), and place on the assembled salad. Turn off the heat for the Asian sauce to make the dressing (you will use what is left of the sauce in the skillet).
In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients for the dressing until smooth; add water as needed to thin it out. Once the dressing is made, pour it into the skillet with the remainder of the Asian sauce and stir well to combine, adding water if it gets too thick. Use this combined mixture as your dressing (again, sounds weird, but it is a good combination of Asian and ranch).
Frozen chicken fingers (baked & warm)
Salad mix (any mix you like)
1 can mandarin oranges
1 package Chinese noodles
Salted, roasted peanuts
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups water
1/8 cup rice wine vinegar
3 T soy sauce (I use low sodium)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 garlic clove, minced
Dressing
1 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1-2 oz. water
While the chicken fingers are cooking in the oven, make the Asian sauce that you will toss them in by combining the sugar and cornstarch in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk these dry ingredients together, then add the water, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and garlic and continuing whisking until well combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened. Add an ounce or two of water if the sauce gets too thick; whisk occasionally.
Go ahead and assemble the rest of the salad with the greens, oranges, peanuts and Chinese noodles. Once the chicken fingers are finished cooking, toss them (hot) in the Asian sauce (you will have more sauce than you need), and place on the assembled salad. Turn off the heat for the Asian sauce to make the dressing (you will use what is left of the sauce in the skillet).
In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients for the dressing until smooth; add water as needed to thin it out. Once the dressing is made, pour it into the skillet with the remainder of the Asian sauce and stir well to combine, adding water if it gets too thick. Use this combined mixture as your dressing (again, sounds weird, but it is a good combination of Asian and ranch).
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