Asian Chicken Salad

I can be a pretty indecisive person.  Ask me what my favorite movie is or what my favorite song is and you won't get a solid answer from me.  There are tons of songs and movies I like, so it's too hard to pick my favorite.  The same goes for food.  There are so many tasty recipes it's hard to pick a favorite.  This salad is so dang good it deserves to be a favorite, but my favorite dish of all time???  I can't make that kind of commitment, so I'm putting it under the "Salad" category instead of the "Best Dish Ever" category.

Without further ado...this is my favorite salad recipe!  Yep, you heard me right.  FAV-OR-ITE.  It's light, healthy, colorful, and simple to make. Not to mention it's perfect on a hot summer day. It can be a main dish or a side dish, a red fish or a blue fish.  Um wait...I got carried away.  Moving on...I haven't met a single person who didn't like it, and if I did, I'm not sure we could friends anymore.  That's how good it is - hand over heart.  

 Serves 6

Ingredients

Salad: 

• 1 large carrot
• 3 cups shredded Napa cabbage, from 1 small cabbage
• 3 cups shredded romaine lettuce, from 1 small head of lettuce
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and deveined, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons fresh Thai basil leaves or fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 1-2 scallions, chopped
• 2 cups thinly sliced or shredded rotisserie chicken (about 2 small chicken breasts)
• 1/2 cup silvered or sliced almonds, toasted
• 1 tablespoon toasted white or black sesame seeds

Dressing: 

• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, optional

Directions

For the salad: Using a vegetable peeler, shave the carrot and add to a large salad bowl.  Stir in the cabbage, lettuce, pepper, Thai basil, chicken, scallions, almonds, and sesame seeds.

For the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well.  

Adapted from the Food Network website.

Seriously, what are you waiting for?  Make this tonight!  I promise you won't be disappointed.

I'd love to know what your favorite salad recipe is!