How to make Chinese Chicken Salad

Chinese Chicken Salad

380 calories , 21 g fat (3.5 saturated), 23 g carbohydrates

Chinese chicken salad is one of the world's ultimate fusion foods. It's an Eastern-inspired dish popularized by an Austrian chef (Wolfgang Puck) in Beverly Hills (at his restaurant Spago back in the 1980s). Whatever its disparate origins, it's undeniably one of the most popular—and ubiquitous—salads in America, sharing space on menus in four-star restaurants and Wendy's alike. Too bad most versions are nutritional disasters, bogged down by too much dressing and too many fried noodles. This lighter version is true to Wolfgang's original inspiration but with about a third of the calories.

Ingredients

• 1 head napa cabbage
• 1/2 head red cabbage
• 1/2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 cups chopped or shredded cooked chicken (freshly grilled or from a store-bought rotisserie chicken)
• 1/3 cup Asian Vinaigrette (store-bought or use the calorie-cutting recipe in Cook This, Not That!)
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 cup canned mandarin oranges, drained
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Slice the cabbages in half lengthwise and remove the cores. Slice the cabbage into thin strips. Toss with the sugar in a large bowl.
2. If the chicken is cold, toss with a few tablespoons of vinaigrette and heat in a microwave at 50% power. Add to the cabbage, along with the cilantro, mandarins, almonds, and the remaining vinaigrette. Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.