If you’re a Chinese chicken salad lover, you’ll surely become a fan of this unconventional one. Crunchy vegetables, tender chicken all tossed in a tangy homemade Shanghai vinaigrette. I knew I was onto something when everyone wanted seconds. Seconds on a salad? You can enjoy every skinny bite at 287 calories, 9 grams of fat including the dressing and 8 Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS. A regular recipe has 587 calories and three times the fat at 31 grams. This salad can be prepared earlier in the day and dressed before serving.
Prep Time: 20 minutes, including the dressing
Ingredients
1 recipe for Shanghai Vinaigrette, see below
3 cups (12 oz) boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cooked, see shopping tip
1 head (8 cups) Napa cabbage, sliced into strips
1 cup red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 cup carrots, shredded
1 cup scallions (green onion), thinly sliced
½ cup La Choy rice noodles or chow mein noodles
Instructions
1. Prepare the Shanghai Vinaigrette below and refrigerate.
2. Cut the cooked chicken breasts into bite-size pieces. Transfer chicken to an extra large bowl. Add the cabbage, red pepper, carrots, and scallions. Refrigerate.
3. When ready to serve, toss with enough dressing to coat, about ½ cup. You’ll have leftover dressing. Divide salad among 4 plates. Sprinkle the top of each salad with 2 tablespoons rice noodles.
Makes 4 main course salads (each salad about 3½ cups)
Shanghai Vinaigrette
I created this dark, rich and creamy, with a bit of a bite, Asian style vinaigrette to serve on this chicken salad. but it taste delicious on any Chinese salad or as a dip for veggies. Great news, this dressings contains only 81 calories and 4.6 grams of fat for two tablespoons. It’s high fat counter-part has twice the calories, 164 and over three times the fat, 14 grams for the same two tablespoons.
Ingredients
½ cup Skinny Ranch Dressing or store bought reduced-fat ranch dressing
⅓ cup hoisin sauce
¼ cup seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon crushed ginger (in a jar)
1 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
½ teaspoon dry mustard
Instructions
1. In a medium bowl add all the ingredients and whisk together.
2. Pour into an airtight container and store in the fridge.
3. Shanghai Vinaigrette will keep for up to 1 week in the fridge.
Makes 1¼ cups
Food Facts
Napa cabbage is also called Chinese white cabbage. It’s related to the beet family, growing to a height of two feet.
Hoisin, also called Peking sauce, is a thick reddish-brown sauce that’s both sweet and spicy. It’s a mixture of soybeans, garlic, chili peppers, and various spices.
Healthy Benefits
Napa cabbage has virtually no calories or fat. It contains a good supply of calcium, fiber, iron, vitamin A, folate,
Chicken breasts are a good source of lean protein and B vitamins.
Shopping Tips
La Choy rice noodles are available in a can. There are several brands of crispy chow mein noodles available. All can be found in the Asian section of the supermarket.
Hoisin sauce, reduced-sodium soy sauce and toasted sesame oil can all be found in the Asian section of your supermarket.
For time and convenience, I like ginger in a jar. I always keep a jar in the refrigerator and add it to many Asian dishes. You’ll find it in the produce department near the garlic, in a jar.
Trader Joe’s sells delicious (12 oz) packages of cook chicken breasts. I love their teriyaki flavored chicken for this recipe or use any cook chicken breast.
Weight Watchers (old points) 6
Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS 8
| SKINNY FACTS: for 1 salad including dressing (each salad about 3½ cups) 287 calories, 9g fat, 39g protein, 16g carbs, 2g fiber, 562mg sodium, 5g sugar |
| FAT FACTS: for 1 serving including dressing 587 calories, 31g fat, 38g protein,39g carbs, 3g fiber, 780mg sodium, 5g sugar |
