My favorite.

I’m not sure if it’s all the delicious salad ingredients or the dressing I love more.

But I’m hooked!

To begin, give your chicken a nice soak in this easy Asian Marinade.

Chicken thighs will take on flavor within 30 minutes. You want to marinate chicken breasts 5-6 hours, but any amount of time is better than no marinade at all.

After marinating the chicken, you can pan sear or oven roast the chicken. Always allow the chicken 5-10 minutes resting time before slicing. This allows the juices time to redistribute.

Your Asian Chicken Salad should include a variety of colorful veggies. I like purple cabbage, shredded carrots and lettuce as the base.

Sliced scallions, fresh cilantro, and edamame are key.

And don’t forget mandarin oranges, a signature ingredient.

Sliced almonds or roasted cashews are a wonderful addition. Crispy wonton strips bring a crave-worthy crunch factor.

The marinated chicken is super tender and juicy and full of flavor. The Asian Marinade brings a subtle heat that’s balanced by the other savory ingredients.

Asian Vinaigrette makes this salad. It’s bursting with sesame, soy and ginger flavors, and just a touch of sweetness from honey.

You can easily make this salad a day in advance. You’ll just wait to slice the chicken and add the crispy wonton strips and dressing. A great lunch option is to stuff your favorite wrap with this delicious salad!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Asian Chicken Salad

A rainbow of colorful & healthy ingredients, delightful textures, and savory Asian flavors makes this Asian Chicken Salad an all-time favorites.

Course Salad Entree

Cuisine Asian

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Chicken

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
• Asian Marinade See recipe link post

For the Salad

• 3 hearts of romaine chopped
• 1-2 cups purple cabbage thinly sliced
• 1 cup carrots shredded
• 1 cup cooked edamame
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 scallions thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup crispy wonton strips
• 1 cup mandarin orange segments
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup Asian Vinaigrette See recipe link in post
• 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions

For the Chicken

• Combine marinade ingredients in a zipper top bag or bowl. Add chicken and turn to coat well. Refrigerate chicken breasts for 5-6 hours (preferred) or chicken thights from 30 minutes – 2 hours.
• Remove chicken from marinade and grill, pan sear, or oven bake until cooked through. Allow to rest 5-10 minutes before slicing. Serve on top of Asian Salad.

For the Salad

• In a large bowl, add all salad ingredients including sliced cooked chicken. Toss with Asian Vinaigrette, garnish with sesame seeds and serve in individual bowls or plates.

The post Asian Chicken Salad with Asian Vinaigrette appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

They are bright and green and filled with fresh herbs.

A crispy exterior with a tender moist center makes them irresistible and comfortable and oh so delicious.

These chickpea and herb fritters are a staple dish in many parts of the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East.

I found this interesting article from History Today on the origin of Falafel.

Clearly there is much debate on which country first took claim to this dish, and it’s no wonder.

It all begins with dried chickpeas aka garbanzo beans, which need to soak overnight or for at least 8 hours. The beans are only soaked, not cooked, therefore you can’t substitute canned chickpeas. I repeat, please don’t attempt this recipe with canned chickpeas.

We are fortunate to have a sweet lunch-date spot mere minutes from our house. Jerusalem Chef is a family owned restaurant that makes authentic dishes like Jerusalem Salad, Shawarma, Kofta Kababs, Hummus, Baba Ghanoush and the most beautiful emerald green Falafel. Which are the inspiration for this post.

If you love falafel like me, you’ve likely had the really good falafel and then the kind-of-dry, not-so-tender, under seasoned variety. Clearly I aspire to share a really good falafel recipe with you, similar to the ones served at Jerusalem Chef.

So I googled “bright green falafel recipe”, clicked on Images, and found this gorgeous recipe from one of my favorite sites The View from Great Island. It’s straight forward, herb loaded, flavor packed and the finished result turned out just like the picture. Winning!

Basically your food processor does 50% of the work and you’re responsible for the rolling and frying. And 100% of the eating, although you’ll want to share the love with this one ~ your friends and family will thank you. All of the ingredients go into the food processor and you pulse until you have the consistency of coarse wet sand. You want the mixture to hold together when you squeeze it with your hand. I used a small ice cream/cookie dough scoop then gently formed them into balls with my hands. I wanted to serve the Falafel warm for dinner so I refrigerated them for a few hours before frying. You can easily make the mixture ahead and refrigerate for up to two days.

We incorporated the Falafel with Lemon Tahini Sauce as part of a gorgeous Middle Eastern Mezze Platter. We grazed our way around the board, such a fun and satisfying way to enjoy the flavors of this region.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Falafel {with Lemon Tahini Sauce}

These chickpea and herb fritters are a staple dish in many parts of the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East. They are packed with fresh herbs and their texture is superb.

Course Entree or Appetizer

Cuisine Middle Eastern

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Overnight Soak 8 hours hours

Servings 6

Author Sue with The View from Great Island

Ingredients

For the Falafel

• 3 cups soaked chickpeas not cooked
• 1/2 medium red onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 small jalapeno
• 1 packed cup fresh parsley leaves stems discarded
• 1 packed cup fresh cilantro leaves stems discarded
• zest of 1 lemon
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon coriander
• 1 Tablespoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 Tablespoons chickpea flour (or all-purpose)

For the Lemon Tahini Sauce

• 1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• water to thin to desired consistency
• salt to taste
• ground cumin to taste

Instructions

For the Falafel

• Soak the dried chickpeas overnight or for at least 8 hours. DO NOT COOK THEM.
• Measure out 3 cups of soaked chickpeas and place in food processor with remaining Falafel ingredients. Run processor until you have a wet corse sand like consistency, scraping down the sides of the bowl several times during the process. The mixture should hold together when squeezed in your hand.
• Use a ice cream scoop or spoon to portion out the falafel mixture. Use your hands to gently shape into balls. Refrigerate until ready to fry, up to two days.
• Preheat vegetable oil to 350° F. Gently fry falafel in small batches and drain on paper towels. Serve warm with Tahini Sauce.

For the Lemon Tahini Sauce

• Whisk together the tahini and lemon juice, adding water to thin it to desired consistency. Season with salt and cumin to taste.

The post Falafel {with Lemon Tahini Sauce} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.