Gluten Free Crispy Chinese Chicken Salad is a healthy, tasty and beautiful salad to enjoy on a summer day. The crispy chicken is filling and satisfying.
Modifying ingredients is my forte in the kitchen. I try to use what I have on hand, and most recipes need some tweaking to satisfy both the hub and me.
We used up the greens we had in the fridge. The iceberg lettuce for crunch, the cabbage for a peppery taste and leaf lettuce for a fluffy base.
A nifty Pampered Chef julienne peeler perfectly sliced a carrot into ribbons to toss into the greens.
Frying chicken is not something I would have thought to do for a salad, but I was inspired by this YT video:
The method of breading the chicken doesn’t allow the oil to saturate and keeps it healthier. Gluten-free flour and breadcrumbs kept it diet-friendly for John.
When this chef measured his cooking oil with his laser thermometer, I was hooked. We have one of those! And we never use it! So perfect for this job.
One large breast made several cutlets and we’ll be eating them for days, I’m sure. We fried them in batches, turning frequently, looking for a rich golden brown color.
The chicken cooked within minutes and the next batch was ready to fry before the last every cooled down.
Hub used ranch dressing for his salad and I modified the YT dressing for my sour taste buds.
Gluten Free Crispy Chinese Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 1 Chicken Breast, cut evenly into cutlets Our chicken breast was extra large and would have served at least four
- ½ – 1 cup Avocado oil
- ½ cup Gluten-free all purpose flour If gluten is not a problem, use regular flour
- ½ cup Egg whites or a beaten egg
- 1 cup Gluten-free bread crumbs For extra crunch, use panko if you have it
- Salt & pepper to taste
Asian Dressing
- ½ Lemon – juiced
- 1 tbsp Rice vinegar Modify amount based on your taste for acid
- 1 tsp Sesame oil
- 1 tbsp Avocado oil Modify amount based on your taste for acid
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp Tamari If gluten is not a problem, use soy sauce
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Salad Greens
- ¼ head Iceberg lettuce, chopped into ribbons
- ¼ head Leaf or romaine lettuce, chopped into ribbons
- ¼ head Cabbage, chopping into ribbons
- 1 small Carrot, julienne or ribbon sliced
Topping
- 1 tbsp Toasted Almond Slivers
- 1 tbsp Toasted Sesame Seeds
Instructions
- Cut chicken into evenly sized cutlets
- Dip cutlets in flour, then egg whites or egg, and dredge in bread crumbs. Ensure chicken is completely covered with crumbs so that the cutlets do not absorb cooking oil and become greasy as they fry.
- Heat oil in frying pan to 350° (filling the pan no more than one half with oil), and fry cutlets in batches to ensure they have plenty of room. Turn the cutlets frequently looking for a golden brown color. When the chicken reaches 165° in the thickest part, remove it and place on a rack. Season with salt & pepper.
Salad Greens
- Use any greens you have on hand. I used iceberg lettuce for crunch, leaf lettuce and cabbage.
- Slice the greens into ribbons or small chunks.
- Julienne or ribbon cut one carrot.
- Toss the greens and individually plate.
Dressing
- Whisk together dressing ingredients, testing for personal acidity. Add more avocado oil for less acid, add mustard for more thickness, add sesame oil for a bit more flavor.
Assemble the Salad
- After fried cutlets have cooled, cut into chunks and top plated salads. Sprinkle with almond slivers and sesame seeds. Drizzle with dressing.
- Enjoy!
Honestly, this was the most filling and satisfying salad I’ve made that wasn’t full of starches or accompanied by a nice ciabatta. The presentation is lovely enough to serve to guests.
This recipe will be on repeat for us.
