asian chicken salad

prep time: 5 minutes (not including time to cook the chicken) • yield: 2 servings

When I was first dating my now-husband, we enjoyed going to the Medford Café. They served a humongous Asian chicken salad that I loved. It was surrounded by mandarin oranges and crunchy rice noodles and smothered in a sweet Asian dressing. Here is my ketogenic version!

dressing:

1/3 cup coconut vinegar or unseasoned rice vinegar

¼ cup coconut aminos or wheat-free tamari

3 tablespoons Swerve confectioners’-style sweetener or equivalent amount of liquid or powdered sweetener ( see here )

3 tablespoons MCT oil

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon untoasted, cold-pressed sesame oil

2 to 4 drops of orange oil or 1 teaspoon orange extract

salad:

1 cup chopped romaine lettuce

½ cup chopped napa cabbage

½ cup coarsely chopped cooked chicken (see note, see here )

for garnish:

1 tablespoon thinly sliced green onions

1 tablespoon finely chopped purple cabbage

¼ cup finely diced cucumbers

2 tablespoons slivered almonds (omit for nut-free)

1. To make the dressing: Place all the dressing ingredients in a jar with a lid. Cover and shake well to combine. Add more salt, sweetener, or orange oil if desired.

2. Place the lettuce and cabbage on a serving platter and top with the chicken. Garnish the salad with green onions, purple cabbage, cucumbers, and slivered almonds, if using. Serve with the dressing.

busy family tip: The dressing can be made up to 5 days ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.