 |  |  |
 |  storebought dressings |  maifun rice sticks |  simmer chicken |  set aside chicken & oranges |
 slice lettuce |  slice green onions |  combine lettuce, onions & cilantro |  puff maifun in oil |  drain maifun on paper towels |
This is the BEST Chinese Chicken Salad you've ever tasted! I've made it for over 40 years, and no matter how much I make, it's always gone! **
I once took salad for 75 people to a duplicate bridge club (separated into several huge plastic bags) and tossed it there. BIG HIT! **
Cindy's Chinese Chicken Salad
1 iceberg lettuce ~ shredded (or chiffonade cut)
2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs ~ cooked and shredded
Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper & ground ginger to taste
3-5 green onions ~ chopped (thinly slice the white ends horizontally)
2-3 tsp sesame seeds, toasted (optional ~ I don't usually use them)
1 can mandarin oranges, drained (optional, but I always use them)
about 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 pkg. rice sticks (maifun ~ This was always available in the Asian section of the International aisle at the grocery store, but now harder to find. Kroger no longer carries it & Walmart is usually out of stock. I did find it at Tom Thumb {part of the Albertson/Safeway chain}. Make sure you get rice STICKS, not rice noodles ~ usually DYNASTY brand)
vegetable oil or canola oil (to fill large pot about 4” high ~ to make maifun)
Dressing:
You can use Girard’s Chinese Chicken Salad or Original Dressing ~ there are also other Asian salad dressings available that you might want to try.
~ OR make your own:
1/4 cup peanut or light olive oil …………… 2 TB soy sauce
3 TB rice vinegar* …………………………………. 1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp granulated sugar ………………………. Kosher salt to taste
Shake all dressing ingredients together in a jar
Chicken:
First, simmer the chicken breasts in water (to cover) with 1-2 tsp of ground ginger about 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Take out chicken and chop or shred it; season with Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper & ground ginger to taste ~ set aside in a bowl with the drained mandarin oranges. (Refrigerate broth to use in a recipe calling for chicken broth another day).
Maifun:
Put about 4” of vegetable oil into a large pot on high and get it very hot. Put small handfuls of dried rice sticks (maifun) in at a time. It will instantly turn white and puff up ~ with slotted spoon, turn it over and let the other side puff up. Take out immediately and drain on paper towels. Repeat with rest of maifun. (Test the oil by putting in a tiny piece of maifun ~ if it doesn’t puff up, the oil isn’t hot enough yet). If you aren't serving the salad right away, set the maifun aside.
SALAD:
Toss together the lettuce, green onions and chopped cilantro (plus sesame seeds, if you're using them). If you aren't serving the salad right away, put the salad into a big baggie, and refrigerate until serving time. (TIP: I find it's easiest to slice half of the lettuce, then do half of the cilantro & onions and repeat ~ they all mix together better this way.)
When you're ready to serve, toss all salad ingredients (use a BIG bowl ~ transfer into a smaller one later) with the maifun and dressing and serve. (When you first put the maifun & salad together, it will look like you have enough for an army! But when you toss it together, it will get "smooshed" down into a more reasonable size.) Serves 4-6
NOTE: If you’re feeling lazy and don’t want to fuss with frying maifun (or just can't find it), you could use 1-2 cans of Rice Noodles or chow mein noodles on the International aisle. It won’t be quite as good, but easier.
A good side dish is a FRUIT SALAD (especially citrus fruit)
I once took salad for 75 people to a duplicate bridge club (separated into several huge plastic bags) and tossed it there. BIG HIT! **
Cindy's Chinese Chicken Salad
1 iceberg lettuce ~ shredded (or chiffonade cut)
2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs ~ cooked and shredded
Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper & ground ginger to taste
3-5 green onions ~ chopped (thinly slice the white ends horizontally)
2-3 tsp sesame seeds, toasted (optional ~ I don't usually use them)
1 can mandarin oranges, drained (optional, but I always use them)
about 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 pkg. rice sticks (maifun ~ This was always available in the Asian section of the International aisle at the grocery store, but now harder to find. Kroger no longer carries it & Walmart is usually out of stock. I did find it at Tom Thumb {part of the Albertson/Safeway chain}. Make sure you get rice STICKS, not rice noodles ~ usually DYNASTY brand)
vegetable oil or canola oil (to fill large pot about 4” high ~ to make maifun)
Dressing:
You can use Girard’s Chinese Chicken Salad or Original Dressing ~ there are also other Asian salad dressings available that you might want to try.
~ OR make your own:
1/4 cup peanut or light olive oil …………… 2 TB soy sauce
3 TB rice vinegar* …………………………………. 1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp granulated sugar ………………………. Kosher salt to taste
Shake all dressing ingredients together in a jar
Chicken:
First, simmer the chicken breasts in water (to cover) with 1-2 tsp of ground ginger about 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Take out chicken and chop or shred it; season with Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper & ground ginger to taste ~ set aside in a bowl with the drained mandarin oranges. (Refrigerate broth to use in a recipe calling for chicken broth another day).
Maifun:
Put about 4” of vegetable oil into a large pot on high and get it very hot. Put small handfuls of dried rice sticks (maifun) in at a time. It will instantly turn white and puff up ~ with slotted spoon, turn it over and let the other side puff up. Take out immediately and drain on paper towels. Repeat with rest of maifun. (Test the oil by putting in a tiny piece of maifun ~ if it doesn’t puff up, the oil isn’t hot enough yet). If you aren't serving the salad right away, set the maifun aside.
SALAD:
Toss together the lettuce, green onions and chopped cilantro (plus sesame seeds, if you're using them). If you aren't serving the salad right away, put the salad into a big baggie, and refrigerate until serving time. (TIP: I find it's easiest to slice half of the lettuce, then do half of the cilantro & onions and repeat ~ they all mix together better this way.)
When you're ready to serve, toss all salad ingredients (use a BIG bowl ~ transfer into a smaller one later) with the maifun and dressing and serve. (When you first put the maifun & salad together, it will look like you have enough for an army! But when you toss it together, it will get "smooshed" down into a more reasonable size.) Serves 4-6
NOTE: If you’re feeling lazy and don’t want to fuss with frying maifun (or just can't find it), you could use 1-2 cans of Rice Noodles or chow mein noodles on the International aisle. It won’t be quite as good, but easier.
A good side dish is a FRUIT SALAD (especially citrus fruit)
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