Sesame Asian Chicken Salad with Almond Butter Dressing

This is going to be a short and sweet little post, because I just want to share this delicious, healthy weeknight recipe that is too good to pass up. This salad, adapted from Foolproof Living, is so good that I would make it for company any time, but it's so quick and easy (and portable) that I usually make it to pack for delicious lunches. I've never thought of using almond butter in a salad dressing before, but it makes perfect sense since Thai peanut dressing is such a favorite!

I made a couple of simple change for the sole reason of making this super easy. Local store Wheatsville Co-Op has a salad mix called Beet & Kale that also has the shredded carrots and cabbage already in it. So I started with that and added rotisserie chicken, edamame, sliced almonds, and sesame seeds. I kept the dressing exactly as it is, because yum. Go check it out and make this ASAP.

Recipe: Foolproof Living
Photos: Mine

Crispy Pecan-Crusted Chicken over Sunflower Crunch Salad and Hummus

Have I ever mentioned how much I love, and I mean love, fried food? Oh, only 1000 times? Great, here's one more. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: you must consider investing in an Airfryer. This nifty little gadget is the best way I've ever found to replicate the brown, crunchy exterior and juicy interior of deep-fried food, and it does it all with nearly no oil. Amazing! This dish highlights an incredibly crunchy crusted pecan chicken, with a perfectly plump and juicy breast hiding under that golden exterior.

I love coming up with new ideas for weeknight meals, and I've got no shame showing a recipe that uses... bagged salad mix. And? Store-bought hummus. Unusual for me, but after a full day of work this is an amazing dinner that comes together in a snap. Most simple salads would work, including spinach or arugula dressed in a light vinaigrette.  The hummus adds such a nice extra flavor element, especially for dipping the slices of chicken. For real though... that chicken!

Crispy Pecan-Crusted Chicken over Sunflower Crunch Salad and Hummus
Serves 2 

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup ground pecans (or whole pecans chopped in a food processor)
• 2 T. whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1 t. sea salt
• Generous pinch of pepper
• 1 egg
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to thin slightly if thick (mine were huge!)
• Olive oil spray
• 1 bag of Dole Sunflower Crunch Salad Mix (I omitted bacon), or any simple salad
• 2 generous spoonfuls of plain hummus

Directions

1. Mix the first four ingredients in a shallow bowl.
2. Crack the egg into another bowl, and whisk with fork to mix yolk and whites.
3. Coat each chicken breast in the egg, allow excess to drip, and roll in the pecan mixture to coat. Spray lightly all over with olive oil spray.
4. Cook the chicken in the Airfryer at 350 degrees for 12 minutes, then turn up heat to 400 degrees and cook an additional 5 minutes. Alternatively, you can bake them in the oven at 425 for 45-55 minutes.
5. While the chicken cooks, spread a dollop of hummus on each plate. Mix the salad (I used way less than the full dressing - it's quite sweet), and divide between the plates.
6. When the chicken is done, allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes (if you can wait!), then slice and plate over the salad.