Sesame-Crusted Chicken Salad
with Mandarin Orange & a Peanut Dressing
- Sesame
- Eggs
- Peanuts
- Tree Nuts
When it comes to salad, we want more than a pile of greens. We’re looking for something bursting with flavor, contrasting textures, you know, some pizzazz! That’s why we’re excited about this main course spinach salad that’s chock-full of satisfying ingredients. We’re talking chicken coated with sesame seeds and seared till tender, crisp carrot ribbons, and juicy, tangy mandarin oranges. A topping of chopped cashews adds more crunch while the homemade peanut dressing gives the dish a crowd-pleasing richness. THIS is a salad we can look forward to.
Ingredients
3 ounce
Carrot
5 teaspoon
Rice Wine Vinegar
5 ounce
Spinach
2 tablespoon
Sesame Seeds
(Contains: Sesame)
2 tablespoon
Mayonnaise
(Contains: Eggs)
1 unit
Peanut Butter
(Contains: Peanuts)
10 ounce
Chicken Cutlets
1 unit
Mandarin Orange
½ ounce
Cashews
(Contains: Tree Nuts)
1 teaspoon
Garlic Powder
Not included in your delivery
½ teaspoon (tsp)
Sugar
2 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
3 tablespoon (tbsp)
Cooking Oil
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Bring peanut butter to room temperature. Wash and dry produce. • Using a peeler, shave carrot lengthwise into ribbons, rotating as you go, until you get to the core. Discard core. Peel and separate mandarin into segments; cut each in half horizontally. Roughly chop cashews.
• In a medium bowl, combine sesame seeds, garlic powder, ½ tsp salt (1 tsp for 4 servings), and pepper. • Pat chicken* dry with paper towels; place between 2 large pieces of plastic wrap. Pound with a mallet or rolling pin until chicken is about ½ inch thick. • Season all over with sesame seed mixture, pressing to coat. Wipe out bowl.
• Heat a large drizzle of oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium- high heat. Add chicken. (TIP: If any sesame seeds fall off while transferring, carefully sprinkle them on top of the chicken in pan.) Cook until crust is golden brown and chicken is cooked through, 3-5 minutes per side. TIP: Reduce heat to medium if sesame seeds begin to brown too quickly. • Turn off heat; transfer to a cutting board.
• While chicken cooks, in bowl used for sesame seeds, whisk together peanut butter (for a less intense peanut flavor, start with half the peanut butter and add more to taste), vinegar, and ½ tsp sugar (1 tsp for 4 servings). (TIP: Knead peanut butter packet before opening to make whisking a bit easier.) Slowly drizzle in 3 TBSP oil (6 TBSP for 4), whisking continuously. • Reserve 2 TBSP dressing (4 TBSP for 4) for serving.
• In a large bowl, toss spinach and carrot ribbons with as much remaining dressing as you like. Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired.
• Slice chicken crosswise into strips. • Divide salad between bowls; top with chicken, mandarin, and cashews. Drizzle reserved dressing over chicken and serve.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the peanut dressing and sesame-crusted chicken; some found the combination of flavors refreshing and delicious 🍲.
- Ease of prep: Quick and easy to make, though some had trouble keeping sesame seeds on the chicken while cooking.
- Suggestions: Consider adding more mandarin oranges and cashews; some preferred mixed greens instead of just spinach.
- Portions: Several felt the salad needed more toppings or protein to be filling as a dinner.
- Chicken: Sesame crust was flavorful, but many struggled with seeds falling off or burning during cooking.
