Crunchy Asian Chicken Salad

I can’t believe I haven’t posted this recipe before! Well, here it is, in honor of the Frugal Food Series Part Five: Chicken.

This recipe is wonderful on so many levels. First it is pretty darn cheap. Cabbage usually runs about $.40 a lb or something crazy like that, so the green part of the salad costs minimally. The original recipe called for green onions, but heck with that, I just use regular onions-cheaper and always on hand. Then you actually need a pack of Ramen Noodles. What is that, like $.33? The only things that are costly are the almonds and sunflower seeds. They really do add to the dish, but you could skip them if you had to.

Folks frequently look at me strangely when I tell them about this salad, but once they’ve eaten it, they are all converted. It’s a great thing to take to a potluck or BBQ because it can feed a crowd, especially as a side dish.

Here goes:

Crunchy Asian Chicken Salad

1 Head Cabbage, Shredded
1 Bunch Green Onions (or 1 regular Onion)
3-4 Cups Chicken-cooked and shredded (I frequently use as little as 1 1/2 to 2 cups)
2 TBS Soy Sauce
2 TBS Sugar
1/4 C Vinegar
1/3 C Oil (I like to put some sesame oil in there with the regular canola for flavor)
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 Pkg Oriental Ramen Noodles (I’ve used chicken an beef as well)
1/3 C Slivered Almonds, toasted (in a dry skillet)
3 TBS Sunflower Seeds, toasted (in a dry skillet)

Combine cabbage onions and chicken; cover and chill.

In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, oil, pepper and the favor packet from the Ramen Noodles. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Pour over chicken vegetable mixture and toss. Chill for 2-4 hours.

Toast almonds in dry skillet for about 4-6 minutes (will turn a golden brown). Toast sunflowers for about 2 minutes. Just before serving combine the chicken/cabbage mixture, nuts, and the uncooked, crumbled noodles (they should be crunchy). Toss all together and serve.

As luck would have it Jill posted a similar recipe while I was typing this up! But they are slightly different, so I will link this one as well.