Asian Chicken Salad with Ginger-Soy Dressing

        Three. That's right, I tried three different Asian chicken salad recipes in order to find the easiest, best tasting salad. Some of the ingredients in the salad might seem a little different, but when all the ingredients were combined, Cale and I felt this salad had the best flavor overall. I love the crunchiness of this salad. There are a lot of flavors and textures. The creamy avocado, the sweet orange, crunchy bean sprouts and cucumber made for a very delightful meal. I prefer my 'Asian inspired' dressing more savory so I added less sugar, but feel free to add more sugar if you prefer a sweeter dressing.
       This salad is a nice to entertain with. It makes a wonderful lunch and needs little extra. It also looks really impressive when all the ingredients are stacked high on a platter. It has a lot of color and flavor.


 Asian Chicken Salad with Ginger Soy Dressing
8 fresh wonton sheets
cooking spray
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 large orange, peeled or 1 can mandarin oranges
1 English cucumber, sliced
1 cup bean sprouts
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 large avocado
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
4 green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/3 cup roasted, salted peanuts


Dressing
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
2-4 tablespoons honey or sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 generous teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
pinch of kosher salt, optional


Preheat oven to 425º. Coat wontons with spray and cut into strips. Sprinkle strips with sesame seeds. Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet until crispy; turning once, about 8 minutes.


Dressing: Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl.


Plating Salad: Toss the lettuce with a little dressing, just enough to partially coat the leaves. On a  serving platter or individual plates layer greens, chicken, cucumber, bean sprouts, red pepper, oranges, avocado, cilantro, scallions, peanuts and wonton strips.


Drizzle with dressing and serve.