Chinese Chicken Salad — Isabella Gambuto

My very first recipe for culinary school! The assignment was to adapt a recipe that will show off our newly honed knife skills - so a spin on the classic California cuisine Chinese Chicken Salad was an obvious choice. I lightened the original Sunset Magazine recipe by making the whole thing paleo using grain free Siete tortilla chips for crunch and added a little extra punch with fresh herbs and Thai chilis. All the delicious flavors of the original and you don’t even have to go to a Cheesecake Factory! Here’s what you need, instructions in the comments!

Paleo Chinese Chicken Salad

INGREDIENTS

VINAIGRETTE
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
2 tbs rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 tbs coconut aminos
1 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 tsp honey

SALAD
4 cups chiffanod or thinly sliced savoy cabbage
2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
2 medium carrots, Asian julienned
4 scallions, thinly sliced, both white and green parts
2 cara cara organes, supremed
2 roasted chicken breasts, shredded
1 cup grain free tortilla chips, I used Siete Foods
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
2-4 thai chilis, thinly sliced
1 tbs sesame seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

1. place all vinaigrette ingredients into a jar. close lid and shake vigorously until ingredients have combined.
2. prepare your savoy cabbage by either slicing thinly or chiffonade. To chiffonade your cabbage, peel off 4-5 leaves at a time and stack on top of one another. gently roll up like you would a cigar - the cabbage will not have much give so you will only be able to roll it around once or twice. carefully slice thinly and you will have long ribbons.
3. prepare the rest of your salad ingredients - thinly slicing red cabbage, scallions and thai chilies. Julienne carrots.
4. to supreme cara cara oranges use a small paring knife to cut of the ends of the orange. (I have a video saved in my highlights under or🍊SALAD). Stand your orange upright on a cutting board and carefully, following the curve of the orange, slice off the skin and the outer membrane. Once pith is removed trim any excess membrane. You will be able to see each membrane between each orange segment, carefully slice along each membrane and lift out orange wedge. You will be left with perfect little orange gems!
5. shred your pre-cooked chicken, either using your hands or two forks.
6. lightly break up tortilla chips into bite size pieces
7. assemble salad in a large bowl, toss cabbages, chicken, carrots, scallions, tortilla chips and cilantro so they are well distributed. Mix in dressing and top with oranges, chilis and sesame seeds.