Thai Crunch Chicken Salad

Happy first day of the last week of the Olympics!! How's that for an intro? And what better motivation to eat better and exercise could there be that watching all these Olympians with their toned bodies? Not much I tell ya. Not much. 

When I think of healthy food, I often think of baked or grilled chicken and/or salad, and when I can combine those two things with a slew of other veggies and a great dressing I am one happy girl! Jessica posts way too many yummy recipes for me to keep up with, but I am slowly working my way through all the ones I have saved. This Thai Crunch Chicken Salad has all the components of a great meal...cabbage, shredded carrots, edamame, baked chicken, and most important...a sweet peanut dressing!! Just perfect for a Sunday salad, don't you think?

I don't usually exercise on the weekends, but I think I'm going to hit up the gym today, to jumpstart this week's workouts. I was a serious slacker this past week and I'm determined to get back into a routine and get in shape Olympian style. Ok, so maybe that's a pipe dream, but hey...at least I have some motivation!! And with food that tastes this good, I am all for working up a good appetite!!

Thai Crunch Chicken Salad

Slightly adapated from How Sweet It Is

Ingredients

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

 For the marinade/dressing

• 1 cup sweet chili sauce
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup lite canned coconut milk
• 6 tablespoons brown sugar
• 4 garlic cloves, pressed or finely minced
• 2 tablespoosn creamy peanut butter
• 2 teaspoon-sized knobs of ginger, grated
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

 For the salad

• 3 cups angel hair cabbage
• 1 large cucumber, peeled, sliced and quartered
• 2/3 cup shredded carrots
• 2/3 cup edamame
• 2/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 2/3 cup crispy lo mein noodles 

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray and season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Place the chicken in the baking dish and prepare the marinade.
2. To make the marinade, combine chili sauce, vinegar, coconut milk, sugar, garlic, ginger, peanut butter, soy sauce and lime juice in a saucepan and stir to mix well. Allow the mixture to come to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and pour half of the sauce over the chicken, turing chicken to coat completely. Reserve the remaining sauce as your dressing.
3. Bake chicken for 25-30 minutes, or until it is cooked through.
4. While chicken is cooking, combine all of the salad ingredients except the lo mein, an a large bowl and gently mix. Once the chicken is done baking, allow to cool a bit, then cut into bite size pieces or shred. Plate the salad mixture, top with chicken and lo mein and generous drizzle with dressing.