Chicken Cabbage Salad

The perfect lunch meal, light, refreshing, and crunchy! Chicken Cabbage Salad is a sweet and tangy combination that your taste buds will love! 

I made this salad a few weeks ago but I didn’t have toasted almonds so it just wasn’t ok! So disappointing! I LOVE the toasted almond flavor and crunch, its an absolute must!

This is one of my favorite childhood recipes. I’d always be the one “toasting” the almonds.. or eating them!

I was cooking the chicken for this recipe and was reminded of our chicken we had while in Nicaragua…

Two weeks ago, we were in Nicaragua for a week and had a great time! We saw so many great places and a lot of new things! I’m so in love with Nicaragua! Here were some of our snacks we had on the trip! The pink fruit is what they call dragon fruit. So pretty!

Landon and his carrots… I think we all know now that carrots are his favorite! Hey, as long as he carries them, I’m fine with it. And then I sneak a few…

Just kidding, he loves me and always shares his carrots, haha!

Ok, so for the chicken part…We ate at a really, and I mean really, sketchy chicken place for lunch when we first got there. The menu was chicken or beef… According to all the flies covering the tables, it was good food! (YECH!) It was cooked on an open wood fire, pretty neat considering… We somehow survived the “dirty” chicken as we like to call it and had some funny memories! Oh the things we do in Latin American countries… as long as we survive, I guess!

Ok enough with the adventurous foods, I’m looking for something “closer” to home. Like Chicken Cabbage Salad! Lunch Time!

Nom-Nom-Nom, oh, and Crunch-crunch-crunch!

Grab your head of cabbage and a few other ingredients you will need. Add chicken to a pan of boiling water and cook until no longer pink. Drain and cut into small cubes. Let it cool.

I like to pull all my stuff out and then put it away when I finish using it so my kitchen is clean when I am done… Is that weird? My mom is complete opposite, so either I’m weird, or she is. (Haha just kidding Mom!)

Shred the cabbage as finely as you can. As you can see, I have not mastered that yet but I’m hoping some of my Tico friends will let me in on their tricks.

They are cabbage shredding machines around here!

Now the best part! Crunch the uncooked noodles while still in the package. Go for it! Get mad! Get stabby! Ok, wait. STOP! You need a few clumps…not all crumbs. Ok, good!

Mix the dressing seasonings. Sugar, package of Ramen seasoning, salt, and pepper.

Chop the almonds into small chunks.

Get ready for the most amazing smell in your kitchen! You will want to eat all these almonds once they are toasted. Resist, they are so good in the salad!

Note: I haven’t found any sesame seeds here in Costa Rica but they are yummy if you do add them! 

Once the chicken has cooled, add it to the salad.

Add your masterpiece (the crunched noodles) toasted almonds, and sesame seeds.

Add the oil and vinegar to the dressing seasonings and mix well. Add to the salad and toss until the dressing has covered the salad. Serve immediately or chill for 10 minutes.

Chicken Cabbage Salad 

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1/2 head of cabbage
4 green onions
1/2 cup of toasted almonds, chopped
2 Tbs. of toasted sesame seeds
1 pkg of Ramen Soup Mix, uncooked

Dressing:
1 pkg Ramen seasoning
3 Tbs of sugar
3 Tbs of oil
3 Tbs of vinegar
1 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Add chicken breasts to a pot of boiling water and cook until no longer pink on the inside. Chop into small cubes and let cool.

2. Wash head of cabbage and slice in half. Store one half back in the refrigerator. Remove the core of the half you are using for the salad and slice it as finely as you can. Cut the long slices in half or thirds (depending on how big your cabbage is) so the cabbage can be eaten easily.

3. Take the Ramen Pack of Noodles and before you open it, crush it the noodles form small clumps.

4. Chop almonds into small chunks. Place on a plate along with the Sesame seeds and toast in the microwave for about 3 minutes or until golden brown.Stir halfway through so they don’t burn.

5. Slice green onion. Add the cabbage, uncooked noodles, almonds, sesame seeds, green onion, and cubed chicken to a bowl and toss.

6. Mix all the ingredients for the dressing and toss with the salad. Enjoy!