Sunday, October 6, 2013

Cashew Chicken Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

Whenever I see a recipe for any kind of nut-crusted chicken I'm completely sold.  Something about that pairing gets me every single time.  Combine that with my favorite dressing, honey mustard, and it's a total win.  I loved this salad.  It was simple and straightforward and it totally hit the spot!

If you feel inclined you could do a few simple things to jazz this salad up.  A few dried cranberries or cherries would be a great addition, as well as a sprinkle or two of blue cheese, and maybe a few sprinkles of crushed cashews just for added texture, but only if you're in the mood! The idea is to keep it nice and simple!


Cashew Chicken Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing
Adapted from Simple Essentials Chicken
by Donna Hay
Serves 4
1 cup cashew nuts
1/2 pound or so (7-8 ounces) chicken tenders
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 - 2 heads romaine lettuce
Honey Mustard Dressing:
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon white vinegar
 To make the honey mustard dressing:  Combine the mustard, honey, and vinegar.  Set aside.

To make the salad: Place the cashews in a food processor and process for 2 - 3 minutes.  Coat the chicken with the cashew and salt and pepper.  Heat a medium non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add the oil to the pan and cook the chicken for 2- 3 minutes each side or until cooked through.  To serve, toss the chicken with the lettuce and spoon over the dressing and serve.
We are introducing a new chef over at I Heart Cooking Clubs this week.  We will be cooking the recipes of the great Donna Hay for the next six months.  If you're interested in joining us then head on over and check out the details. 


Theme: G'day Donna Hay!

Every Sunday @ Kahakai Kitchen


14 comments:

  1. This sounds right up my alley --- I just made a Chinese cashew chicken, so I have plenty of raw cashews leftover!

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  2. I love a good hearty and simple salad--and of course you can't go wrong with honey-mustard dressing. ;-) A great way to welcome Donna Hay--and thanks for sharing it with Souper Sundays too.

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  3. This is a great salad. I am not sure you would have to "jazz it up" .

    Happy fall to you!

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  4. Perfect dish to welcome Donna Hay, Kim. Like you, I love chicken with any kind of nuts, especially if those nuts happen to be cooked right onto the chicken to make a crunchy, nutty crust. I love everything about this dish - chicken, nuts, quick, easy, and that dressing!

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  5. I could see that nut crusting being perfect on everything. And I kind of have a thing for honey mustard...a perfect pairing!

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  6. Yum! I love love love cashews and the thought of using them to crust chicken instead of bread crumbs is even better ... as I find that glutens and I need to budget our time together ... switching out the glutenous coating makes for nuts is so clever!

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  7. What a great choice to welcome Donna! This was a recipe I had ear marked, looks so good. I am happy to be cooking with you all at IHCC.
    Thanks for the very nice comment you left me, Kim :-)

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  8. Hi Kim,
    A lovely salad. Like everything in it! Sounds so good with the honey mustard dressing!
    A great potluck dish!

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  9. That's a wonderful looking salad! I would love this for lunch. The nut crust on the chicken sounds especially delicious.

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  10. Keeping it simple sounds good to me...and also your quick suggestions for some simple additions also sound wonderful. So many choices...lovely photo of it all. That crunchy chicken had me at the first sight as well.

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  11. It figures that we both made salad with honey mustard dressing! And another salad I would actually not mind eating as a meal!

    I love nut-crusted chicken too--any kind of nut will do.

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  12. A raspberry chipotle would be good on this as well. Yum

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  13. What could be better than a nice crispy crunchy chicken - with nuts. Nice choice.

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  14. I could cram all of that into a wrap for a great lunch at work.

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