Eat to the Beat: Chinese Chicken Salad

When Elly from Elly Says Opa announced that she was going to resurrect Eat to the Beat in celebration of her 5 year blogging anniversary, I thought, What an awesome, fun idea!! I started thinking of how I could associate a song with anything food-related, and I don't know how it happened but suddenly Barenaked Ladies popped into my head. You know the song, "One Week" from their 1998 album, Stunt. Now, the title doesn't lend a hand in how this relates, but the part of the song that immediately took over my brain was, "Chickity China the Chinese chicken; Have a drumstick and your brain starts tickin'..."

Chickity China the Chinese chicken salad!!! How perfect is that for this event?? Well, at least I thought so anyway. Mama R made this for us when she came to visit once during my stay with T and Mr. T, so I asked for the basic ingredients and then came up with my own version of it. Delish!! And of course I can't get the song out of my head now.

I'd like to say congratulations to Elly for 5 wonderful years of blogging, and many more to come, and a big thanks for allowing us to celebrate and participate with her in this event!! Be sure to head over to Elly's page on November 30th to check out the event!

Chinese Chicken Salad

Salad
Inspired by Mama R

Ingredients

• 2 bonless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 3 cups Napa Cabbage, shredded (or use Angel Hair Coleslaw)
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups Mandarin orange segments
• 1 cup cripsy Chow Mein noodles

Preparation

1. Place chicken broth, garlic, and ginger in a pot or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts and poach until no longer pink in the middle, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from pot and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the dressing (recipe below) and set aside.
3. Once the chicken has cooled, use two forks to shred (or cut into bite-sized pieces if you prefer).
4. In  a large bowl, layer the cabbage, chicken, mandarin oranges, and scallions. Drizzle with dressing and top with Chow Mein noodles. (You can also do this in individual bowls the same way.)

Sesame-Ginger Dressing
Adapted from Eating Well

Ingredients

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat mayo or miracle whip
• 2 Tbsp ground ginger
• 1 Tbsp minced scallions
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp honey

Preparation

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until well blended. You may want to add more vinegar and/or ginger and sesame oil to reach your desired taste. (I had to play a bit with mine to get the flavors I wanted.)