Applebee's Asian Chicken Salad

I remembered trying this salad years ago when my roommates made it. It's really quite delicious. I'm not a big meat-eater, I usually find myself picking my way around food dishes thinking "man, this would be a great sauce if there just wasn't so much chicken in it!" However, I found myself actually looking for the chicken in this salad! My husband agreed. In fact, he was not sure he believed me that I actually cooked the chicken myself - it was certainly too delicious - until I showed him the pan I had fried them in. Case closed.So, I will say that, if you aren't afraid of calories (which I am not) I think some diced cheese would taste really good with this salad. It just needs a little...something more. The flavors present blend beautifully, I just think it could use a little oomph. I also doubled the green onion content and thought it was a nice touch.The dressing is good - it has a vinegar-y taste, but I think that little zing is fun with the chicken and cabbage. All in all, a great salad. I ate it the night before a race and it was just the perfect light-yet-filling dish.

Oh, and I didn't have cornflakes. I just used Panko bread crumbs that I have a plethora of and am always looking for reasons to use. I'd do it again, given the option between the two. I thought they were better than cornflakes. In fact, I think that Panko bread crumbs just might save the world someday.Lastly, I think if I make this again I'll try doing an oven-fry on the chicken, instead of pan-frying them. It certainly would make for a healthier meal. Still, I really don't know how guilty you can feel when you are shoving your face full of lettuce, cabbage, almonds, and onions. By the way, I was out of carrots, so I skipped them.4 stars.

Recipe below:



Dressing

6 Tbsp honey

2 tsp Dijon mustard

3 Tbs rice vinegar

1/4 tsp sesame oil or oil

1/2 C mayonnaise

Chicken:

2 egg

2 tsp salt

1 C milk

1 C corn flake crumbs

1 C flour

1/2 tsp pepper

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Oil for frying

Salad:

6 C chopped romaine lettuce

2 green onion, chopped

2 C red cabbage

4 Tbsp sliced almonds

2 C napa cabbage

2/3 C chow mien noodles

1 carrot julienned or shredded

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oil in deep fryer or deep pan over medium heat. Want temp around 350.

Blend together all ingredients for dressing with an electric mixer. Let chill while preparing salad.

In small bowl beat egg, add milk, and mix well. In another bowl, combine flour with corn flake crumbs, salt and pepper.

Cut chicken breast in 4-5 long strips. Dip each first in egg mixture then into the flour mixture, coating each piece completely. Fry each piece for 3-5 minutes or until coating had darkened to brown.

Mix lettuce, cabbage, and carrots together. Sprinkle green onion on top. Sprinkle with almonds then the chow mien. Cut chicken into bit size chunks. Place onto the salad forming a pile in the middle. Serve with salad dressing on the side. Makes one-dinner size salad.