Trying something new: Monday Treats, Asian Chicken Salad

I love making new recipes. Often I come across a new recipe. Fix it. It turns out wonderful. And I never make it again. There's just so many recipes to try, there's not really time to make recipes more than once.

And then there are my reliable stand-bys. The recipes that I make over and over. The ones that I just have to have from time to time. This Asian Chicken Salad is just one of those recipes. About once a month, I eat Asian Chicken Salad. I have a wide range of variations I make. You can use lettuce or cabbage or both. You can make it with leftover grilled or roasted chicken breasts or thighs. I like to buy a cold rotisserie chicken from the grocery store to make it quick and easy. You can add cucumbers, snow peas, green onions, orange segments, bean sprouts, cooked ramen noodles, blanched broccoli florets. You can top with cilantro, mint, basil, ramen noodles, wonton strips, almonds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, peanuts, chow mien noodles. The dressing can be store bought Asian style dressing. Or you can make your own with rice wine vinegar, canola oil, and sugar and any add-ins such as the flavoring packet from one package of ramen noodles, juice from canned mandarin orange segments, grated fresh ginger, lime zest, a few drops of sesame oil.

Here is a basic recipe for Asian Chicken Salad. Feel free to make any variation you like from it. Just think of your favorite flavor combination from any Chinese, Japanese, or Thai dish, and add those ingredients.

Asian Chicken Salad

INGREDIENTS
1 small Napa cabbage
1 small savoy cabbage
6 green onions
1/4 pound snow peas
1 grocery store rotisserie chicken
2 packages chicken flavored ramen noodles
(Save 1 flavoring packet)
1 cup slivered almonds

Dressing: 3/4 cup canola oil, 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup juice from canned mandarin oranges, 1 flavor packet from chicken flavored ramen noodles

1) Put all of the dressing ingredients into an empty, clean medium-sized jar. Shake well for 1 or 2 minutes until well blended.

2) Thinly slice Napa and savoy cabbages. Slice green onions and snow peas on the diagonal.

3) Take all of the chicken off of the bone from the rotisserie chicken. Dice.

4) You can toast the ramen noodles in a pan over medium heat until they start to turn light brown. Add the almonds at this point and toast a little longer until the almonds turn light brown as well. You don't have to do this step, but it does add a nice toasty flavor. Just be careful to stir a lot and watch the pan carefully. Ramen noodles and almonds can go from too light to way too toasted very quickly.