Make Ahead Layered Chinese Chicken Salad

Marinated and grilled chicken is layered with an Asian slaw mix, snow peas, mandarin oranges with a tangy ginger-chile-garlic dressing.

Recipe Ingredients:

Dressing:
1/2 cup Splenda® Granulated No Calorie Sweetener
3 tablespoons Chinese chile garlic paste
1/3 cup light mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1/4 cup light soy sauce
3/4 cup rice vinegar
1 3/4 teaspoons cornstarch
1/3 cup water

Salad:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup snow peas, trimmed and halved
1 (15 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
2 (12 ounce) packages Asian slaw mix

Garnish:
2 cups chow mein noodles
1/3 cup chopped green onion

Cooking Directions:

1. Mix Splenda® Granulated Sweetener, chile garlic paste, light mayonnaise and ginger together in a medium mixing bowl. Stir well. Add soy sauce and rice vinegar. Mix until well blended.
2. Pour 1/4 cup of dressing in a small bowl. Place chicken breasts in bowl, tossing to coat. Marinate in refrigerator 45 to 60 minutes.
3. Place remaining dressing in a small saucepan. Set aside. Mix together cornstarch and water in a small bowl until cornstarch is dissolved. Pour cornstarch mixture into dressing while stirring constantly. Place pan on medium-high heat. Boil dressing over medium-high heat approximately 2 minutes, while stirring constantly. Remove dressing from heat and pour into a small bowl. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until cool.
4. Remove marinated chicken breasts from refrigerator. Grill or broil chicken until internal temperature reaches 160°F (70°C). Set aside to cool. Slice thinly or shred cooled breasts. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
5. Place 1 bag (8 cups) of Asian Slaw in a straight-sided glass bowl. Drizzle a third of the prepared dressing over the slaw. Arrange 1/2 of the sliced or shredded chicken breasts and pea pods on top of the slaw mix.
6. Pour remaining slaw into bowl. Top with remaining chicken and oranges. Pour remaining dressing over the salad. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
7. Just before serving top with chow mein noodles and green onion.

Makes 13 (1 cup) servings.

Note: Substitute shredded or finely chopped Napa Cabbage if Asian Slaw Mix is unavailable. Use crushed ramen noodles in place of chow mein. Toasted sliced almonds also make a great garnish. For a more authentic Asian flavor add 1-2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/13 of recipe; 1 cup): Calories: 160; Calories from Fat: 50; Total Fat: 6g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Cholesterol: 25mg; Sodium: 430mg; Total Carbs: 18g; Dietary Fiber: 2g; Sugars: 4g; Protein: 10g.

Exchanges per Serving: 1/2 Starch, 1 Lean Meat, 1 Vegetable, 1 Fat.

Recipe and photograph courtesy of Splenda, Inc. Splenda® is a no-calorie sweetener made from sugar that is suitable for diabetics. For more information regarding this product, please call 1-800-777-5363 or visit their website at www.splenda.com.