• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About

Betty Eatz

Home » Salad

July 18, 2022

Ginger Cashew Chicken Salad

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

Ginger Cashew Chicken Salad

Sliced grilled chicken atop salad greens with mandarin oranges and cashews

This bright and fresh Ginger Cashew Chicken Salad makes an easy meal!

Bring the Zing

Salads are a go-to dinner and a fast pain-free meal in summer, or really any time of year. It is easy, however, to fall into a rut of making the same type week after week. Greens and chicken, greens and steak, greens and fish.

Yawn.

Solution? Bring some zing! Three easy ways to do that are toppings, dressings, and a special root: ginger.

Peeled and sliced fresh ginger

Benefits of Ginger

Fresh ginger, the root of the flowering plant called zingiber officinale, has been used for centuries in cooking and traditional medicine. One of its main benefits: settling the tummy. It aids in digestion, bloating, and nausea.

If you have stomach issues or have ever been pregnant, you know this.

There is also some evidence that ginger contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds. In addition to supporting gastrointestinal and general well-being, it is a delicious addition to food and beverages.

Sweet, warm, and zesty, ginger appears in both sweet and savory dishes. In this salad, ginger shows up in the marinade and dressing.

chicken breasts soaking in marinade

Homemade Ginger Cashew Chicken Salad Dressing

Anything that doubles as both marinade and salad dressing earns heart eyes in my book. And that is the case here. One batch of dressing, two uses. Pour some over the chicken and save the rest to dress the salad.

Two surprise ingredients that make this dressing different are fresh minced ginger and mild molasses. Whaaat? Yes, my mind went down the gingerbread trail too, but really, it works here.

plate of salad greens, bowl of mandarin oranges, cut red onion, green onion, and carrot

Salad Toppings

Depending on the type of salad person you are, you either love toppings or think they are just meh. Salad toppings are worth their weight in gold at my house. They can make or break a salad.

This particular salad has crunchy, tender, salty, and sweet toppings. Scattered over fresh greens, grilled chicken, and the zingy ginger vinaigrette, they offer something different in each forkful.

Plus, they are pretty.

raw meat and marinade ingredients on a wooden cutting board

Lessons Learned

  • Cut the chicken breasts lengthwise into two thinner cutlets. This gives you a piece of chicken that cooks quicker, soaks up more marinade, and is more likely to be the recommended 4-ounce single serving size.
  • Don’t marinate the chicken overnight. This marinade/dressing contains vinegar and an overnight soak will break down the connective tissue in the meat making it tough once cooked. Marinating anywhere between 3 and 8 hours is perfect!
  • Cashews add a subtle buttery-ness and soft crunch, but if you don’t like them substitute another type of nut.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Taste of Home for their recipe!

Assembled salad in all it's green and orange glory
Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Sliced grilled chicken atop salad greens with mandarin oranges and cashews

Ginger Cashew Chicken Salad

  • Author: Betty
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Marinating Time: 3 hours
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes plus marinating
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Units Scale

Dressing:

  • ½ cup cider vinegar
  • ½ cup molasses
  • ⅓ cup canola oil
  • 2 Tablespoons minced fresh gingerroot
  • 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
  • 2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Salad:

  • 2 to 3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
  • 10 cups of greens (spring mix, spinach, arugula, etc)
  • 1 can (11 ounces) mandarin oranges, drained
  • 1 cup shredded cabbage
  • 1 medium carrot, shredded
  • ½ cup thinly sliced red onion, soaked in water and drained

Garnish:

  • 3 green onions, thinly sliced
  • ¾ cup roasted salted cashews

 


Instructions

  1. Combine all the dressing ingredients in a bowl or mason jar and mix to incorporate. Measure out ¾ cup of the dressing to use as a marinade. Cover and refrigerate the remaining dressing until ready to use.
  2. Cut one of the chicken breasts lengthwise and horizontally into two cutlets of equal thickness. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts. The thinner cutlets will soak up the marinade and will cook more quickly.
  3. Pour the reserved ¾ cup of dressing over the prepared chicken. Cover and allow to marinate in the fridge for at least 3 hours or up to 8 hours.
  4. Preheat the grill. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade. Once the grill is hot, cook the chicken for 4 minutes on each side or until the inside temp reaches 165 F.
  5. Arrange the greens, mandarin oranges, cabbage, carrots, and red onion on a serving platter or individual plates. Slice the chicken against the grain and place it on top of the salad greens.
  6. Drizzle the salad with the dressing and garnish with green onions and cashews.

 


Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below!

Share a photo of your creation by tagging us @betty_eatz

More Salad

  • Quinoa Salad with Asparagus
  • Roasted Pumpkin and Lentil Salad
  • Baby Kale Salad with Apples and Walnuts
  • Grilled Zucchini and Corn Salad

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Homemade Pop Tarts
  • Sheet Pan Eggs Benedict
  • Sheet Pan Crispy Chicken with Veggies
  • Cauliflower with Gochujang
  • Vegetable Soup with Barley

Recent Comments

  1. Betty on Milk Bread Cinnamon Rolls
  2. Kathy on Milk Bread Cinnamon Rolls
  3. Betty on Roasted Vegetables with Forbidden Rice
  4. Sharon Phinney on Roasted Vegetables with Forbidden Rice
  5. Betty on Pumpkin Soup with Caramelized Onions

Archives

  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022

Categories

  • Bread
  • Breakfast
  • Dressings, Jams, Sauces
  • Meat
  • Pasta, Rice, and Grain
  • Pizza and Flatbread
  • Salad
  • Snacks
  • Soup and Stew
  • Sweet
  • Vegetable

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms of Use

Contact

  • Contact

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2023 Betty Eatz