Asian Style Cabbage & Chicken Slaw

So lately in our Bountiful Baskets we've been getting a lot of cabbage. I am usually not a big fan of cabbage (I'll eat it but usually only certain ways, and not all that often).  In order to not waste what we had (we'd accumulated 2 heads over a couple of weeks and hadn't used any of it), I decided to make an Asian style slaw with cabbage, carrots, onions, peppers, chicken, and a sesame ginger dressing. It turned out pretty well, and we ate it along side some grilled pineapple and some watermelon spears.

The great thing about this salad is that it keeps pretty well, and actually makes good leftovers. You can kind of mix and match ingredients as you please, so it's versatile, and it's a great option for those hot summer nights when you don't want to use the stove because it's just too dang hot... which was my issue tonight. You can make it ahead of time and stick it in the fridge to eat later.

Anyway, I hope you like it like I did, and maybe find some variations that you might like better. Enjoy!

Asian Style Cabbage & Chicken Slaw

1 small head of cabbage cored, and either shredded or sliced thin with a knife)
3-4 carrots, peeled and shredded
1 white or yellow onion, sliced very thin (I used my salad shooter)
cold water, and 1 tbsp sugar
1 green or red bell pepper, sliced thin
2 chicken breasts
2 cloves garlic, minced
a few shakes of ground ginger
1 tbsp soy sauce
Sesame Ginger salad dressing (we used the Newman's Own Lite version)

Optional add-ons I didn't have in the kitchen tonight: sliced almonds, crunched dry ramen noodles, those crispy "chow mein" noodle things, peanuts, edamame, snow peas, green onions, celery, radishes...the list goes on.


In a small bowl, put onions in cold water and sprinkle in sugar, let stand for 5-10 minutes.  This takes the bitterness and strong flavor out of the onion and makes it milder and a bit sweeter...learned this trick from my mom.  Also works for radishes and green onions.

In a large bowl (the one you plan to serve in), combine cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, and onions (drain them first of course).  Set aside.

Cut chicken into bite sized pieces, and then stir fry in a skillet or wok.  When the chicken is about halfway cooked, add minced garlic, ground ginger, and soy sauce.  Continue to cook until completely cooked through.  

This part is up to you....Because we used a wok, we just tossed the salad ingredients in with the chicken (in the still hot wok) and tossed it around a bit to combine everything and make sure the slaw got all of the good flavor of the chicken and its juices.  If you don't have a wok, you can just put the hot chicken and its juices into your bowl and quickly stir it so everything coats well and mixes together.  Then add your dressing to taste, toss and serve (or chill in fridge to eat later).