Wednesday, June 1, 2022

Chicken and Cashew Salad with Ginger Dressing #FoodieExtravaganza

This delicious salad is a wonderful and colorful main course dinner with molasses and soy marinated chicken breast on top of tender baby spinach with crunch from the cabbage, cashews and chow mein noodles.  

Chicken and Cashew Salad

It's National Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Month........


When the weather gets warmer my thoughts turn from baking, braising and roasting to grilling and using fresh ingredients.  So I start bringing on the main course salads that keep us happy throughout the summer.

When I discovered that June is National Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Month, I invited the other members of Foodie Extravaganza to join me in sharing some wonderful salad recipes with our readers.

Let's take a look at what they brought to the table today.......


composed salad

I was originally going to serve this as a composed salad so that all the beautiful colors, textures and flavors were visible.  However, I find that my mind doesn't always cooperate with me and once this gorgeous salad was plated and in front of me for photos....I realized I had forgotten to dress the spinach.

salad

I dumped the entire platter into a large bowl, dressed it and returned it to the platter before adding the grilled chicken breast.

salad with wine


Not quite as beautiful but absolutely delicious especially when paired with a bottle of Orvieto wine that had been provided by a sponsor for an Italian Food Wine Travel event.  You can read about Orvieto wines in this post.

Chicken Salad Pin

I found this recipe at Taste of Home.  I wasn't sure how my family was going to feel about the molasses in the marinade but I needn't have worried.  This marinade that is also used as the dressing for this salad was the perfect flavor profile for the ingredients.




Entrees, Salads, Chicken, Spinach
Entrees, Main Course Salads
Asian
Yield: 4 servings
Author: Wendy Klik
Chicken and Cashew Salad with Ginger Dressing

Chicken and Cashew Salad with Ginger Dressing

This delicious salad is a wonderful and colorful main course dinner with molasses and soy marinated chicken breast on top of tender baby spinach with crunch from the cabbage, cashews and chow mein noodles.
Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 20 MinInactive time: 3 HourTotal time: 3 H & 40 M

Ingredients

  • 1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 c. molasses
  • 1/3 c. canola oil
  • 1 T. ginger paste
  • 2 t. soy sauce
  • pinch of salt (lg. pinch if using low sodium soy sauce)
  • 2-3 dashes hot sauce of choice
  • 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 8 oz. baby spinach
  • 1(11oz) can mandarin oranges, drained
  • 1 c. shredded red cabbage
  • 2 carrots, shredded
  • 2 c chow mein noodles
  • 3/4 c. roasted, salted cashews

Instructions

  1. Whisk together the vinegar, molasses, oil, ginger, soy sauce, salt and hot sauce. Pour 3/4 c. of this mixture into a large plastic bag that seals, reserving the remainder in the refrigerator.
  2. Add the chicken breasts to the plastic bag, remove the air as much as possible and massage the marinade around the chicken until coated. Place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
  3. Remove chicken from the marinade, discarding any left in the bag. Grill the chicken over med high heat for about 20 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking time, until an internal temperature of 165* is reached. Remove from grill and let rest while you make the salad.
  4. Toss the spinach with some of the reserved dressing keeping some for drizzling. Place the spinach on a platter and arrange the chicken, oranges, cabbage, carrots and chow mein noodles over the top. Drizzle with remaining dressing and serve.

Notes

Adapted from a recipe found in Taste of Home

Nutrition Facts

Calories

1053.06

Fat (grams)

36.02

Sat. Fat (grams)

4.42

Carbs (grams)

135.18

Fiber (grams)

10.46

Net carbs

124.72

Sugar (grams)

42.72

Protein (grams)

47.91

Sodium (milligrams)

1307.49

Cholesterol (grams)

72.58

6 comments:

I enjoy getting comments and feedback from my audience. Please let me know what you think, keeping in mind that we are all entitled to our own beliefs and opinions. I am happy to hear yours as long as they are stated nicely.