Chinese Chicken Salad

Only three weeks left and the grind of tax season 2014 will be over. We are tired and cranky. Our living room is getting no use, we get home and head straight to bed. I've not cooked dinner in a week now. My refrigerator has a half-gallon of milk and some eggs. Have I said there are only three more weeks left?!!

Though we're not doing much for dinner, we are eating well for lunch. Most of us in the office are taking turns bringing lunch in. We've had lasagna, grilled sandwiches, sloppy joes, quiche, tuna sandwiches, soup, to name a few. It's a good arrangement as we're not running out for junk food and we usually are only responsible for bringing something in every 4-5 days. 

Last week I brought in this Chinese Chicken salad.  I was introduced to this salad when my son was in the first grade.  The school had a luncheon for past parents and I was a volunteer worker.  This salad was on the menu.  I've made it numerous times over the years. It's got salty (soy sauce), sweet (pineapple and mandarin oranges) as well as crunch (water chestnuts and chow mein noodles). I always get requests for this recipe when I serve it. Most of it is done the night before so it makes very easy to put together for lunch.

Once again, not the prettiest picture but just keeping it real.  We don't have fine china and linen at work!

CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD

 

1 whole chicken (or use equivalent in chicken breasts)

1 can pineapple chunks (16 oz.)

1 can mandarin oranges (11 oz.)

1 can sliced water chestnuts (8 oz.)

4 ribs of celery

4 green onions

1 can chow mein noodles (5 oz.)

Salad greens

 

       DRESSING

¾ cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

 

1.       Remove fat from chicken; cook in boiling water; drain; cool and bone; chop into bite-sized pieces. (This was the directions in the original recipe. I usually bake bone-in chicken breasts).

2.       Drain pineapple, mandarin oranges and water chestnuts well.

3.       Chop celery and green onions.

4.       Mix together the chicken, pineapple, mandarin oranges, water chestnuts, celery and green onions; cover and refrigerate overnight.

5.       For dressing, mix together the ingredients; may be done in morning.

6.       Just before serving, mix salad greens and  chicken mixture with dressing (make sure there is no extra juice from fruit in chicken mixture before tossing).  Top with chow mein noodles.