This CA Avocado Seasame Ginger Chicken Salad post is sponsored by the California Avocado Commission, but all opinions and my love for CA avocados are mine.
California Avocado Sesame Ginger Chicken Salad: Crisp lettuce, creamy avocado, crunchy cucumbers, sweet mandarin oranges, all tossed together in a sesame ginger dressing, and topped with crunchy goodness. This salad is the perfect summer meal.
During the hot summer months salads rule my life. I just love a good quality salad packed with flavor, and tons of stuff so that I get a filling meal that is light and delicious. I don’t want to turn on my oven. Sometimes I forget to start something in the crockpot. Or I forget to defrost something to grill, so salads are the perfect solution to summer meal times!
While I love making my own dressings, and cooking from scratch, during the summers I am way too busy. My kids are home and life is hectic. So I just love when I can make a yummy salad without a lot of effort.
This Sesame Ginger Chicken Salad fits the bill. No need to whip up your own dressing, or cook chicken. In about 5 minutes you can have a quality salad with all those delicious flavors you love.
Speedy but delicious CA Avocado Sesame Ginger Chicken Salad:
- Bottled Dressing: I use a bottled dressing from the grocery store, just a sesame ginger dressing, and use is sparingly. The flavors from the grilled chicken, and creamy California Avocado, the mandarin oranges, and the crispy onions all combine so beautifully you only need a little dressing to go a long way.
- California Avocado: Not only are California Avocados heart healthy and full of essential nutrients, but they are grown and harvested in the golden state during the peak of their perfection. June is peak avocado season, so in July, when it is drawing to a close I try to stock up. I like to scoop out the insides of the avocados, and freeze them to use later. Especially during football season for guacamole. They add a creaminess and depth to this salad, and help give it some heft so it sticks with you a little longer. Just look for the “California” sticker on the outside.
- Rotisserie or pre-grilled chicken: I love just buying chicken that is already cooked. I can keep it on hand for tossing in a salad or a pasta so I can get extra protein without the extra effort. Who wants to cook in the summer anyway?
- Crunchy toppings: What really takes this salad over the top are the crunchy toppings. I love the crispy onions that add flavor, and the wonton strips that add even more crunch.
- Cool and refreshing: The cucumbers and mandarin oranges help keep things cool and refreshing. Making this the ultimate combination for flavor, filling-ness, and refreshment! This is a great potluck side, pool party addition, or summer lunch.
Sesame Ginger Chicken Salad
With this Sesame Ginger Chicken Salad the biggest thing to remember is that it does not keep well. So only make as much as you will eat! But chances are you will want to eat it all because it is just that good. Also keep in mind that how you dress a salad should be based on personal preference, so add as much or as little of the dressing as you see fit. For me, a little goes a long way.
The mandarin oranges should be drained. They are still going to be juicy, so you may be able to cut back on the dressing more if you want, and let their juiciness coat the salad.
And don’t forget the California Avocado:
- Full of Nutrients: California Avocados are a nutrient dense food, providing substantial amounts of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients with relatively few calories. 50 calories of avocado (about 1/5 of an avocado) contributes nearly 20 vitamins and minerals. Making it a great nutrient dense food choice.
- Sodium and Cholesterol FREE, Naturally: Nothing has to be done to them to make California Avocados naturally sodium and cholesterol free.
- Good Fats: Avocados have monounsaturated fats, the good fats, that your body needs!
- Nutrient Booster: California avocados are a great fruit that not only gives you lots of nutrients, but also helps increase the absorption of fat-soluble nutrients like Vitamins A, D, K and E.
- Kid friendly: My kids love avocados, but the great thing is they are soft, creamy, and easy to eat making them a great option for babies too!
Obviously, California Avocados are a great choice, and make an excellent addition to this salad.
Other Salad Recipes You May Enjoy, and could benefit from adding California Avocados:
- Classic (Easy) Greek Salad
- Chicken Noodle Salad
- Roasted Vegetable and Quinoa Salad
- Seared Watermelon Salad
Sesame Ginger Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 1 Tbs Toasted Sesame Ginger dressing
- 2 cups Romaine lettuce torn
- 1 small can mandarin oranges drained (8.25 ounces)
- 1/2 a cucumber diced
- 1 California Avocado diced
- 1/2 grilled chicken breast chunked (can buy the pre-grilled kind or a rotisserie chicken)
- 1/4 c Crispy Onions
- 1/4 c Wonton Strips
Instructions
- Prepare ingredients: Wash and chop lettuce, drain mandarin oranges, dice cucumber and California Avocado, and cooked chunk the chicken breast up.
- Toss everything together in a bowl with 1 TBS toasted sesame dressing, except Crispy Onions and Won Ton Strips
- Top with Crispy onions and Won Ton strips just before serving
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
Pin to your Salads or Summer Eating board:
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