I love this recipe and I think you will, too! The chicken packs a ton of flavor, making it anything but “another boring salad”!! If you prefer fish to chicken, swap the chicken for salmon, I’ve tried both versions and they’re both fantastic. (Although when using salmon, I recommend grilling the fish instead of sautéing.)
Spicy Ginger Chicken Salad
Yield: 4 dinner servings
Time: 30 minutes total
Salads:
4 large chicken breasts, sliced into long, thin strips (or 4 salmon filets)
1 tbsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 to 2 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1½ tbsp. soy sauce
6 tbsp. canola oil
8 cups arugula (or other salad greens)
2 cups seedless red grapes, cut in half
½ red onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut into bite-sized chunks
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
Vinaigrette:
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
¼ cup canola oil
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp. orange juice
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. sugar
salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
1: In a small bowl, combine the ginger, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and brown sugar. Add the soy sauce and mix well.
2A (for chicken): Heat the 6 tbsp. canola oil in a skillet. Place the chicken in the skillet, and pour the spice mixture over top. Sauté chicken strips over medium-high heat until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Set aside.
2B (for salmon): Brush the spice mixture on the salmon. Grill until cooked through. Set aside.
3: Divide arugula between four plates. Top with red onion, red bell peppers, grapes, and feta cheese.
4: Whisk together all of the vinaigrette ingredients.
5. Place the chicken (or salmon) on each salad. Drizzle vinaigrette over to finish. Enjoy!
To grate the Parmesan cheese for this Caesar salad, I use a Microplane zester. It makes the cheese so light and fluffy it’s like a small mound of delicious snow! It’s so fine that it almost melts into the dressing. Delish!
janis cakes 