Sesame Chicken Spinach Salad

I made this salad today for a baby shower, and it was yummy!  I was a little nervous because I have never made it before, so I wasn't quite sure how it would turn out.  But several people asked me for the recipe, and that always indicates a winner!  This recipe came from a childhood friend of mine's blog (was that proper English?) here.  Enjoy!


Sesame Chicken Spinach Salad
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Salad ingredients:


• 5 cups cubed grilled chicken breasts (about 4 large chicken breasts)*
• 2 cups seedless red grapes (halved)
• 3 cups packed torn baby spinach
• 8 oz. fusilli pasta (cooked)
• 1 jar (15 oz.) marinated artichoke hearts (drained and roughly chopped)
• 1 bunch chopped green onions
• 1 (11 oz.) can mandarin oranges
• 1 pear (diced and tossed with lime juice)
• 2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds


Dressing:


• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. dried minced onion
• 1 tsp. fresh lemon or lime juice
• 2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley


Toss all the ingredients together. Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing. Dress the salad, right before serving.


*Marinade for chicken


• 1/4 cup Teriyaki sauce (soy sauce, ginger, sugar or any commercial brand)
• 1/4 cup Lawry’s Mesquite-lime Marinade
• 1/4 cup Italian salad dressing (Newman’s Own Balsamic Vinaigrette or Italian dressing (any brand but not fat-free)


Marinate chicken for 1-4 hours (not overnight)


Sprinkle generously with lemon-pepper before grilling. Grill chicken until cooked through.


This recipe serves between 8-10 people.

(note:  I added some rice vinegar to the dressing to thin it out a little bit--I thought it was a bit too thick, but I may have done something wrong.  Also, next time I make this, I think I will omit the artichoke hearts and add water chestnuts.)