Name: Crispy Sesame Chinese Chicken Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: Asian Inspired
Ingredients: 1 pound pastured, organic, skinless, boneless chicken breasts; 2 Tablespoons safflower oil; 1 Tablespoon organic soy sauce; 1 Tablespoon honey; 1 cup whole wheat panko breadcrumbs; 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds; 8 ounces fresh bagged coleslaw; 1 red bell pepper, diced; 2 mandarin oranges (or tangerines or clementines), peeled and sectioned; 4 green onions (scallions), white and light green parts thinly sliced; 1/3 cup salted roasted peanuts, chopped; 1/4 cup safflower oil; 2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil; 2 Tablespoons organic soy sauce; 2 Tablespoons honey; 2 teaspoons sesame seeds; 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Description

This fresh, crisp Chinese chicken salad is topped with a homemade salty-sweet Asian dressing and crispy, golden, baked sesame chicken. Healthy comfort food!

Ingredients

Scale

For The Crispy Sesame Chicken:

1 pound pastured, organic, skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 Tablespoons safflower oil
1 Tablespoon organic soy sauce
1 Tablespoon honey
1 cup whole wheat panko breadcrumbs
1 Tablespoon sesame seeds

For the Chinese Chicken Salad:

8 ounces fresh bagged coleslaw
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 mandarin oranges (or tangerines or clementines), peeled and sectioned
4 green onions (scallions), white and light green parts thinly sliced
1/3 cup salted roasted peanuts, chopped

For the Sesame Ginger Dressing:

1/4 cup safflower oil
2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 Tablespoons organic soy sauce
2 Tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

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Instructions

To Prepare the Crispy Sesame Chicken:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Add 1 Tablespon oil plus soy sauce and honey to a large bowl. Whisk until well combined. Set aside.
Add panko breadcrumbs and sesame seeds to a second large bowl. Stir until well combined. Set aside.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (OR you can use a large casserole dish that has a cover).
Dip one chicken breast at a time into the honey-soy marinade and then into the panko-sesame breadcrumb mixture.
Arrange the chicken breasts on the baking sheet (or casserole dish) so that they are evenly spread out on the pan. Cover the chicken with foil (or use the casserole dish cover) and bake in the oven until chicken is still tender but no longer pink in the center, about 20 minutes. (While the chicken is baking in the oven, prepare the salad and homemade dressing.)
Remove the chicken from the oven and reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees F.
Remove the foil (or cover) from the chicken. Drizzle about 1 Tablespoon of oil over the top of the chicken breasts (the oil will help the breading to become crispy and golden).
Place the chicken back in the oven – uncovered – until the panko breading becomes cripsy and golden, about 7 minutes.
Allow the chicken to rest on the countertop about 5 minutes. Then slice the chicken. (The resting period helps the chicken to retain its juices and tenderness)

To Prepare the Chinese Chicken Salad:

Divide and arrange all of the Chinese Chicken Salad ingredients onto four serving plates.
Drizzle on the Sesame Ginger Dressing. Then top with the Crispy Sesame Chicken.

To Prepare the Sesame Ginger Dressing:

Add all of the Sesame Ginger Dressing ingredients to a bowl. Whisk until well combined.

Notes

Because the soy sauce contains a lot of sodium, this recipe doesn’t require any salt.
Sesame seeds burn very easily! So be sure to follow the instructions of leaving the chicken covered for most of the cooking time. And be sure to reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees when you uncover the chicken.