Spring roll chicken salad
This spring roll chicken salad may be one of the very best salads Iโve ever posted on the blog! The other ones that come to mind are this kale salad, this salad, and of course, the best pasta salad ever. This one combines savory peanut butter chicken with a sweet chile vinaigrette, fresh chopped veggies, and creamy avocado.) Iโll get to the recipe in a sec!
Hi friends! Howโs your day going?? Thank you so much for all of the sweet comments about the upcoming move. It was incredible to read that so many of you have been reading since the V-town days (thank you!) and to all of my new reader friends, Iโm so excited to take introduce you to V-town and take everyone along virtually on the adventure. Weโve been casually checking out houses (I looooove house shopping), so thatโs been a blast. Iโm picturing the girls playing outside on a big playset, and I have a feeling theyโll love it.
Some adventures from lately:
Liv has been doing half-day camp, and Miss P had her GI appointment this week. 9 months old, and we finally got in! Iโll share the details on the Family page with her 9-month update this afternoon.
I taught Spin,
(itโs been hot and humid here so class has been extra sweaty!)
got in a quick and killer upper body workout,
and we made scallops for dinner. (Shared some pics on the Snapchat wagon.)
Spring Roll Chicken Salad
Yesterday I felt like I was scrambling most of the day. We overslept (oops), and that left me trying to catch up on everything. I felt nice to pause and enjoy a truly amazing salad for lunch.
This is a replica of the DELICIOUS salad I had at Mendocino Farms with Ashley during the IDEA conference. Face-diving into this salad was one of the many highlights of the weekend. ๐
It just has everything you could wish for:
savory, spicy, almond butter chicken
creamy avocado
sweet mango
crunchy bursts of jicama and chopped carrots
plus a light chile vinaigrette.
Yes to all of these things.
Hereโs the recipe if youโd like to give it a try!
Spring roll salad with peanut butter chicken + sweet chile vinaigrette
Like a very filling salad version of our favorite Thai spring rolls.
- Prep Time: 10
- Total Time: 10
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 1/2 large chicken breast, cooked and diced
- 1 tablespoon peanut or almond butter
- 1 teaspoon Tamari
- 1/2 teaspoon honey
- Salt, pepper, garlic and ginger
For the salad
- Salad greens of choice
- Chopped fresh veggies (I like jicama, mango, roasted red peppers, shredded carrots)
- Bonus: kelp, rice, or quinoa noodles
For the dressing
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon ketchup
- 1/4–1/2 teaspoon red chile slakes
- Pinch of sugar
- Garlic and ginger
For serving
- Lime wedges
- Chopped cilantro
- Avocado
- Sliced almonds (optional)
Instructions
- 1. In a bowl, combine the almond butter, Tamari, and honey, and season well with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and powdered or fresh ginger. Stir well, and then add the chicken. Stir to coat. It will be thick; just roll with it.
- 2. In a small bowl, combine the dressing ingredients. Season with garlic powder and ginger, then stir well to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- 3. In your salad bowl, add the greens and top with the chicken. Add your chopped veggies and any additional toppings you would like.
- 4. Drizzle with dressing and enjoy immediately.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
Please let me know if you give it a try! See ya later today on the Family page.
xoxo
Gina
Love this!
I saw that you were making this on your SnapChat (@SemiSweetTooth) and I couldn’t wait for the recipe! I’m so excited to see that it’s easy, phew. But it looks completely delicious. Perfect for a quick lunch during the day, or as a delicious side to a larger meal.
Can’t wait to try this one out myself!
XO, Jessica
http://www.semisweettooth.com
Pinning this one!!! Looks so good!
thank you, friend!
We went to Mrndocino as well and it was amazing! I could have eaten there daily! How do you do that pretty avocado flower? I need to do that!
thank you! i learned on youtube ๐
Um can we talk about that avocado!? That looks awesome! You should do a tutorial on how you get it to look like that..
thank you so much! i just learned from youtube! i just searched how to make an avocado flower
OMG, I want to eat this every single day. I’m seriously thinking of contacting the company to see if they can open a Mendocino Farms in the Bay Area hahaha. SOOO happy you recreated this gem, so I can do it too. Yay!!!
haha they need to!
it was so delicious and fun to make, but i wish i could buy one right now haha
Always tastes better when someone else makes it. And when you don’t have to clean the dish. ๐ hahha
This looks amaaaazing. I’ve been looking for filling salad ideas to take for lunch! I’ve been slacking on my veggie intake.
let me know if you give it a try!
Mason has a GI appointment on the 5th. I called everywhere to try to get him the soonest available appointment. Luckily, we only have to wait 2 weeks, but it seems like forever. He is starting to not want to eat
Can’t wait to hear how P’s appointment goes. Hugs!
i’ll be thinking about you guys!
Yum – this salad looks delicious! I usually like to add protein of some sort to my salads so that they’re a bit more substantial. This one looks like it fits the bill.
yes, it was super filling!
That salad looks phenomenal! Yum!
This looks great! and the avocado is so pretty.
thank you!
Hi Gina. I just wanted to say….due to my dad’s work, we moved a lot as a family growing up, both within Canada (where we are from) and the United States. The hardest move was when I was 14, because moving as a teen and trying to make new friends in high school in a new environment is brutal, especially as a girl. But the 8 moves that took place before that? I wouldn’t change for the world. In fact, I’ve never been able to understand what it must be like for someone to grow up in the same house or same town all their childhood. How boring (KIDDING everyone. No shade ๐ ). All the moving has made me more flexible, given me a perspective of the world that you wouldn’t attain otherwise, and made me appreciate how important family is. Home isnt a place. It’s people.
So don’t you worry your sweet self about your girls. What you’re giving them is a gift, and they are going to be just fine ๐ big hugs. I can totally understand the loss of the Cali life though. Spent 8 years there as a kid and loved it. But you will all readjust. And you never know…. you could move back someday. Who would have thought you’d return to v-town? Xo
thank you so much. that’s so reassuring to hear! i feel like she’ll appreciate the adventure and opportunity to live in a bunch of different places. (i think p will only have 2 more moves so that’s good)
and yes, we’d love to come back to SD one day ๐
hope you have a wonderful night
Been reading and seeing alot of articles about putting collagen in your coffee or yogurt….can u recommend a brand and give some info on what the benefits are?
i’ve been using the great lakes brand and really like it. i just drink it dissolved in water. i’ve noticed that my skin, hair and nails all have improved, and i think it’s helped with the healing from my surgeries
Ok thanks bunches! Also how r your teeth feeling from invisalign? I go for an apt Thursday. After having braces in elementary school, then 14 years ago after my first son ( tmj= headaches:() , some dental fillings and now years later my bite is off again…hugging.
Oh my goodness, I am TOTALLY trying this out. I love spring rolls but never thought about incorporating that into a salad. Thanks lady!
I’m seriously still wrapping my mind around this avocado!! HAHAH!!
The salad sounds amazing and I can’t wait to try it, but that “Fan” of an avocado is beautiful! LOL!
xxoo
Kris