orange chicken salad
This is lovely for a light supper at the end of a summer's day as you sit on your veranda surveying the gardens on your estate. Okay, I suffer from delusions of grandeur, but you get the idea. I recommend serving with a Chablis (or iced tea), soft bread/roll, and butter. Then follow with a bowl of sherbet.
Blue Ribbon Recipe
Filled with citrus flavor, this orange chicken salad is a delicious option for a lighter meal. Cooking the rice with orange peel gives a slight orange flavor to the rice. Using orange segments in the salad and juice in the vinaigrette pumps up the orange flavor. When you get bits of the roasted cashews, they're a nice crunch. Baked or grilled chicken breasts can be used in this recipe, or pick up a rotisserie chicken at the supermarket. Light and sweet, the vinaigrette dressing would be great on a green salad, too.
Ingredients For orange chicken salad
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3 lgseedless oranges
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1 clong-grain rice
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2 cwater
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3/4 cvinaigrette salad dressing (see below)
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1 lbcooked chicken, diced
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3 Tbspchopped chives
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1/2 croasted cashews
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salt and pepper
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cucumber slices, to garnish
- VINAIGRETTE DRESSING
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3 Tbspwhite wine vinegar
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salt and papper
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2/3 cvegetable or olive oil
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2 tspDijon mustard
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1/2 tspgranulated sugar
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reserved orange juice from the oranges
How To Make orange chicken salad
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1For the salad, thinly peel 1 orange. Take only the colored part of the rind and leave the white pith.
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2Combine the orange rind, rice, and water in a saucepan. Add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil. Then cover and simmer over very low heat for 15-18 minutes or until the rice is tender and all the water has been absorbed.
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3Peel the remaining oranges and cut out the segments, reserving any juice.
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4VINAIGRETTE DRESSING: Put the vinegar, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Whisk to dissolve the salt. Gradually add the oil, stirring with the whisk.
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5Add the orange juice, mustard, and sugar. Whisk to combine. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
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6When the rice is cooked, remove it from the heat and cool slightly uncovered. Discard the orange rind.
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7Add the rice into a bowl. Add half of the dressing. Toss well and cool completely.
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8Add the chicken, chives, cashews, and orange segments to the rice with the remaining dressing. Toss gently. Serve at room temperature, garnished with cucumbers.
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