Chinese Chicken Salad

This has been one of my favorite salads ever since I was a little kid. My birthday is at the end of April, which was the time of year when it was finally warm enough to eat outside on our porch and my mom would mostly serve grilled chicken or steak or salads for dinner. Not boring, tasteless iceberg salads either -- my two favorites were always taco salad and Chinese chicken salad, but I would always request Chinese chicken salad for my birthday dinner(unless we went out for Mexican food at the now defunct El Torito). When it's hot in the summer, I'm always tempted to serve one or the other for dinner -- especially this summer when we've got a lovely garden to dine in. This recipe is really outstanding -- I recommend you give it a try.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Dressing:
1 1/2 tbsp sugar (Equal or Splenda works well too)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil

Salad:
1 bunch of green onions, white & green parts sliced
2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and shreaded or chopped
3 tbsp slivered almonds (toasted if you prefer)
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1 lb baby greens or 1 head of ice berg
2 oz. rice sticks (optional)

1) Combine dressing ingredients and shake or mix well.
2) Fry rice sticks in small batches in oil. Drain on paper towels. (They only take a moment to crisp up, but be cautious, as too many fried at once may result in spattering oil.)
3) Toss salad ingredients (reserving fried rice sticks) and add salad dressing. Place rice sticks atop salad immediately before serving.

Best enjoyed eaten outdoors with your friends. If you want to bring the salad to a picnic or other gathering, combine the chopped chicken with the dressing and assemble the salad ingredients ahead of time. Top salad with dressed chicken and rice sticks just before serving.