Chinese Chicken Salad

This is one of my favorite meals as it can be eaten for lunch or dinner. The cabbage makes it filling and healthy. I can't think of another way I'd ever eat a huge head of cabbage, except in this recipe.....unless you are a coleslaw fan. Me, not so much haha. The marinaded chicken makes it really good, but if you are in a pinch, just boil and shred some chicken or leave it out altogether for a vegetarian dish. Usually my husband and I will make up a big batch of the marinaded chicken and I'll set a piece or two aside just for this dish that we'll shred later that week. The above picture doesn't do this salad justice. It really is super tasty, but beware-it kind of takes awhile to make this salad since everything has to be washed, chopped and prepared. Keep that in mind. :) Enjoy!

Chinese Chicken Salad

INGREDIENTS:

1 head cabbage (I usually add some chopped romaine also)
2 bunches green onions, or more to taste
shredded carrots
2 C cooked chicken breast (can marinade, see below)
3-4 tsp sesame seeds
1 small package almonds
2 packages Ramen Noodles
1 can mandarin oranges, drained

Dressing:
½ C oil
1 TBS sugar
3 TBS vinegar
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
seasoning packets from the Ramen Noodles

Chicken Marinade (aka Soy Sauce Chicken):
½ C sprite or 7-Up
1/8 C vegetable oil
¼ C soy sauce
¼ tsp garlic powder

DIRECTIONS:

1. Wash and chop cabbage, slice green onions and shred carrots. Place in big serving bowl.

2. Cook chicken by baking or barbequing if using the marinade. Marinade overnight for best results. If not using the marinade, boil chicken and salt it afterwards. Shred into small pieces with a fork. Add to bowl.

3. On a cookie sheet, roast almonds, sesame seeds and broken up Ramen Noodles in 400-degree oven until toasty and golden brown, usually just a few minutes. Watch them and/or set a timer so they don’t burn! Add to bowl just before serving to prevent sogginess.

Photo Source: here