Teriyaki Chicken Salad
Try this crunchy, Asian-inspired chicken salad and break out of the 'bawk-bawk' blues. (Get it? Chicken? 'Bawk-bawk'? We crack ourselves up.)
- 1 (20-ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice, drained, juice reserved
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 1/3 cup bottled teriyaki sauce
- 2 cups cooked chicken
- 1 (16-ounce) bag coleslaw mix
- 1 cup shelled edamame
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
Drain pineapple chunks, reserving juice. Set aside drained pineapple. Measure out 1/3 cup of the reserved juice and pour into a large mixing bowl.
Into the large mixing bowl with the juice, add the rice vinegar and teriyaki sauce, stirring well to mix.
Add the chicken, stirring to coat with the dressing. Add the coleslaw mix, reserved pineapple chunks, edamame, and sliced almonds; toss well to mix.
- Canned pineapple is conveniently ready-to-eat and comes in slices, chunks, tidbits, and crushed. Chunks or tidbits work best for this salad, and be sure to buy the variety canned in 100% juice versus heavy syrup; the heavy syrup is not as healthy, even though it still works in a pinch.
- Use your fave teriyaki sauce or any bottled stir-fry sauce for variation on taste. Szechuan sauce really spices up your life!
- Add a rotisserie chicken to your shopping list for convenience; the whole breast portion yields the 2 cups of cooked chicken needed for this recipe.
- Find coleslaw mix, a blend of ready-to-eat, shredded cabbage and carrots, next to the bagged washed salad greens in the produce section.
- Edamame, or green soybeans, are the hottest item on Japanese-inspired menus. They are low in fat, high in protein, and one of the beneficial plant sources of Omega-3s. Find them in the fresh or frozen vegetable section in your grocery store. Eat unused portions hot or cold, and lightly salted.
© Cynthia Stevens Graubart & Catherine Fliegel, R.N. 2005
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