Oriental Chicken Salad ala Nordstrom

Many, many moons ago I worked in cosmetics at our local Nordstrom store. I remember being ecstatic about getting the position. Going into Nordstrom was always a treat, not only were they always at the forefront of fashion and beauty, but the customer service experience was bar to none.

One of the highlights in most of the Nordstrom stores is the little cafe, which offers homemade soups, salads, sandwiches and a seasonal pasta or two. Whenever I go home I have to stop at Nordstrom for a Chinese Chicken Salad. I crave them during the summer on hot days. They are that good.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Main Salad Ingredients:

Mixed greens, as shown above

1 Grilled Chicken breast, thinly sliced

Crisp wontons

Slivered almonds

1 Small can mandarin oranges

Red & Yellow Pepper, thinly sliced

Cilantro, to taste

Sesame seeds

Green onion (optional)

Salad Dressing Recipe (authentic, from a chef who worked there):

1 1/2 cups rice wine vinegar 1/2 cup soy sauce 1 cup granulated sugar 2 tablespoons ground ginger 2 tablespoons dry mustard 1 tablespoon coarsely ground pepper 1 cup canola oil 2 tablespoons sesame oil 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

In mixing bowl combine vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, ground mustard, and pepper. Whip until sugar dissolves. Add canola and sesame oil and whip to combine. Add toasted sesame seeds and blend together. Store in fridge for up to 1 week.

*****Makes 1 quart.

To make salad, layer it using my picture from above. You can add more or less ingredients to your liking.