Bay Area Revisited – Chinese Chicken Salad

We lived in the San Fransisco Bay Area for almost 10 years in the late ’80s and early ’90s. We lived in Milpitas and Dennis worked in Sunnyvale. While there we ate in many restaurants and cities in the area. It wasn’t until we has transferred to Denver and went back for a business training week, that we discovered Tau Tau Restaurant in Mountain View. Steve J., a co-worker, loved the salad and couldn’t find anything close to the taste and flavor anywhere in the Denver area. So I ate a sample, went home, and tried to re-create the taste and flavor. After several months and many, many tries – I thought I had it. The true test would happen when Dennis took some into work and shared it with Steve. He LOVED and declared it may be even better that Tau Tau’s. Here it is for your enjoyment.

5 from 2 votes
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Chinese Chicken Salad

Inspired by Tau Tau Restaurant, Mountain View, CA
One of the keys to making a delicious Chinese chicken salad is using the right dressing. The Oriental salad dressing, typically made with a combination of soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and other flavorful ingredients, adds a unique and delicious flavor to the salad. One of the benefits of making this dressing is that it's easy to prepare and can be used in other dishes as well.
In addition to the Oriental salad dressing, the use of cooking oil also adds a significant amount of flavor to the salad. The oil is typically used to sauté the chicken and other ingredients, giving them a rich and savory flavor. Not only does the cooking oil add flavor to the salad, but it can also be used in other dishes, making it a versatile ingredient to have in the kitchen.
Allowing each individual to use more or less of the salad dressing ensures everybody is happy.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Salad
Cuisine Oriental
Servings 6
Calories 517 kcal

Equipment

  • Large-Mixing-Bowl

Ingredients
 
 

Salad

  • 1 lettuce medium head shredded
  • 5 chicken breasts cooked, shredded
  • 1 cup cilantro chopped
  • cups green onions chopped
  • 1 cup peanuts chopped fine

Dressing

  • ¼ cup rice vinegar
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper

Instructions
 

  • Combine dressing ingredients and mix well.
  • Toss salad ingredients with dressing just before serving. Suggested – 1 tablespoon dressing per 1 cup of salad.
  • Additions as desired: Toasted sesame seeds ,Mandarin oranges, Chow mien noodles, Red, green, and/or yellow peppers, sliced fine, Sliced almonds instead of peanuts, Crushed pineapple.

Notes

Additional Notes and time savers:
• If you’re short on time or lazy (I am sometimes), canned chicken works great.
• Most grocery stores are now selling shredded lettuce, another time saver.
• For those that can’t have nuts, bacon bits (real or fake), add some crunchiness.
• Use the salad dressing for other meals – warm up meatloaf or frozen meatballs with it, add a dash or so to anything you might be pan frying. Since it has oil in it, it can take the place of butter, margarine, or cooking spray. Adds another dimension to lots of meats and vegetables.

Nutrition Disclaimer

Paulson Pursuits is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

Nutrition

Calories: 517kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 48gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 12gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 121mgSodium: 670mgPotassium: 1102mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 937IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 73mgIron: 3mg
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