After a few attempts to recreate the succulent deliciousness of a salad served at a restaurant bar back in Eugene, this is the closest we have gotten. Finally! Sometimes the perfect pick me up in the middle of the week is a sweet, savory, and crunchy salad.

The ingredients are nothing fancy, standard if anything, but that makes this all the better. The addition of spinach to the crunchy cabbage was a trick I learned from my mom, the master of salad making. Cabbage can be a bit bland on its own, but by adding in some greener greens, you get a little extra flavor and extra color. You can also add some shredded carrots which I would have done if I had them on hand…

One thing I like to do when making big salads is adding the crispy sprinkles (uncooked noodles/nuts) once the salad is served on a plate. That means that when you save the leftovers for lunch the next day, you don’t have a salad filled with limp, sad fixings.

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Mandarin Chicken Salad & Sesame Dressing

Servings 5 people

Ingredients

Salad

• 3 cups shredded cabbage
• 1 cup chopped spinach
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 4 green onions sliced
• 1/2 lb. chicken breast cooked and cubed or shredded
• 11 oz. can of mandarin oranges, drained
• 1/4 cup crispy wonton strips, crispy chow mein noodles or ramen noodles
• 2 Tbsp. sliced almonds

Sesame Dressing

• 1/3 cup olive oil (or vegetable)
• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 1/4 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. sesame seeds

Instructions

• Add dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until combined.
• Combine first 6 salad ingredients together in a large bowl and mix in your preferred amount of dressing.
• Dish onto plates and sprinkle crispy wonton strips and sliced almonds on top of each serving.