Orange Ginger Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- Sesame Ginger Marinade, Chicken, & Dressing
⅓ cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons reduced sodium tamari (or soy sauce)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger root
2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 to 1.25 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Salad
2 cups shredded lacinato kale or romaine lettuce (if using kale, remove stems before shredding)
2 cups shredded red cabbage
½ cup grated carrots (or carrot matchsticks)
3 fresh mandarin oranges (like Halos), peeled and segmented
¼ cup chopped green onion tops (green parts only)
- Optional Garnishes
Chopped fresh cilantro
Sesame seeds or sliced almonds
Directions
- In a small bowl, whisk together red wine vinegar, tamari sauce, avocado oil, and maple syrup. Reserve a ¼ cup of the dressing. It will be used for the chicken marinade in step two. To the remaining larger portion of the dressing, add the finely grated ginger and toasted sesame oil. Stir to mix and set aside.
- Place the chicken in a medium bowl with the ¼ cup of reserved dressing (without the ginger and sesame oil). Toss to coat the chicken. Allow the chicken to briefly marinate while you heat the grill or broiler in the next step.
- Heat a tabletop grill or broiler on high. Once the grill is hot, cook the chicken, flipping once, until done. This usually takes me about 12 minutes using my small tabletop grill. Remove the chicken from the heat and place it on a clean cutting board. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before slicing into bite-sized pieces.
- While the chicken is cooking, I like to assemble the salad. Place the kale, red cabbage, carrots, mandarin orange segments, and green onion tops (green parts only) in a large bowl and stir to mix. Add the cooked chicken and dressing. Toss to mix.
- Serve salad topped with optional cilantro and sesame seeds.