Paula Deen's Lean: Oriental Chicken Salad

When it comes to these warm summer nights, sometimes the last thing I want for dinner is something heavy or even hot. Problem solved! This light and delicious salad is just the perfect meal after a hot day. I watched Paula prepare this on Food Network and she even suggested it as a great snack when you want a little something, but not too much. Snack or meal, this Oriental Chicken Salad is must.

ORIENTAL CHICKEN SALAD

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups cooked boneless & skinless chicken breasts, diced

1 1/2 cups bean sprouts (or shredded iceberg lettuce)

1 1/2 cups snow peas

1/4 cup chopped green onion

1/4 cup vegetable oil

5 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon SPLENDA

1/2 cup chopped celery

One 8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained

DIRECTIONS:

Combine chicken, bean sprouts (or lettuce), peas, and scallions. Make dressing using oil, soy sauce, ginger and SPLENDA. Add to chicken mixture. Add celery and water chestnuts and mix well. Place in the refrigerator and serve chilled.

RESULTS:

My family absolutely loved this dish! My daughter was picking out the snow peas and eating those first. That is such a victory as a parent to see your child go for the veggies. I was thrilled!

Since my grocery store did not have good lookin' bean sprouts, I subbed the iceberg lettuce and it worked just fine. If you decide to make this and use the bean sprouts, I would love to hear how it turned out.

The crispy texture of the ingredients makes this salad so refreshing. It is light, but filling...without leaving you unpleasantly stuffed. By omitting the salt and using low-sodium soy sauce, I was able to decrease the sodium content. Overall, this dish is pretty healthy from the start. There wasn't much to do in order to lean it up.

Just one more plus about this recipe; it is fast! If you only have about 15 minutes to throw something together, this is a great option. Have left-overs? Store the remainder in a sealed container and have it for lunch the next day!

NUTRITION FACTS (per serving): 195.67 calories; 10.27g fat; 8.95g carbohydrate; 18.57g protein; 2.58g fiber