Asian Chicken Chopped Salad

Whenever Mr. Devilish Dish leaves town, Little Devil and I have our list of favorites that we eat while he is away.  Which consists of: cheese tortellini with marinara sauce, Little Caesar's Crazy Bread and Chick Fil A.  None of these are his favorites so we always enjoy them when he isn't eating with us.  Well guess what?  None of those are gluten-free so we've had to change our "Dad is out of town menu" to some allergy free choices.  We both love Asian salads, which he can live without.  He's not a huge fan of a salad as a meal.  He's more of a "Where's the Beef?" guy.  I happened upon this salad over at the Full Belly Sister's blog.  We've probably made it at least 6 or 7 times, each time tweaking it just a little more to our preferences.  Finally Little Devil said, "This is the one.  You can blog it now."  So here it is.  Our new Dad is Away favorite:  Asian Chicken Chopped Salad.

Cool, Refreshing and just a little bit of kick!

Asian Chicken Chopped Salad

Adapted from: Full Belly Sisters

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

For the marinade:
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

For the dressing:
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
juice of 1/2 lime
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
salt to taste
1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

For the salad:
1 head butter lettuce, chopped
1 head romaine, chopped
4-6 ounces salted cashew halves & pieces
4 green onions, chopped
2  (15 ounce) cans mandarin oranges, drained

In a small bowl combine the marinade ingredients.  Place in a large plastic bag and add chicken breasts.  Allow to marinate at least one hour, or as long as overnight.  When you are ready to cook the chicken, remove chicken breasts from marinade.  Preheat oven to High Broil.  Place chicken breasts on a foil covered baking sheet.  Bake on high broil for 5 minutes.  Turn chicken breasts over and bake the other side for 5 minutes.  (Make sure the chicken is no longer pink in the middle and its juices are running clear.)  Allow to cool slightly before slicing.

While the chicken is cooking, whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside.  Place the salad ingredients in a large bowl.  Pour the dressing over and toss to combine.  Place servings of salad on plates and top with sliced chicken pieces. 

Prep Time:  1 hour to marinate     Cook Time:  Approximately 10 minutes