1 teaspoon ginger puree
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 cooked chicken breast, thinly sliced
3/4 cup bean sprouts
2 cups lettuce
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 cup pineapple, cubed
salt and pepper

1. Combine the ginger, garlic, cilantro, soy sauce, vinegar, orange juice, lime juice and brown sugar. Season to taste with salt and pepper, adjust seasoning if necessary.
2. Marinate cooked chicken in the dressing in the refrigerator for about an hour.
3. Combine bean sprouts, lettuce, basil and pineapple. Pour chicken and dressing over salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

I don't normally eat salads because it doesn't leave edible leftovers. I hate how everything gets mushy and, to be quite honest, most salads don't taste very good to me. Anything with bitter lettuces and a vinaigrette is nice for a few bites in between other things, but really doesn't do anything for me as a meal. I absolutely love cooked spinach, but raw spinach starts to give me a weird pasty feeling on my teeth and unless lettuce is chopped up really fine I find it awkward to eat at all. Of course, I do enjoy non-lettuce salads, like Potato Salad or Bean Salad which actually improve while refrigerating.

The exception for lettuce salads has always been, of course, Caesar Salad. Usually Caesar salad is never remaining when brought to the table, especially if chicken is involved. Adding chicken to salad adds a nice texture and a good dose of protein. Grilled chicken adds a nice bit of smoke. I really enjoyed the Thai Chicken Salad I had at the Thai-Viet restaurant and wanted to try and emulate those flavors.

I do not have the fortune to be able to grill my chicken breasts anymore, so I just pan-fried it with a bit of salt and pepper. The dressing is the only dressing with orange juice that I've ever thought was appetizing. The flavor was a bit much after a while, since I ate it as an entree instead of a side dish, but it would've been great as a starter accompanying some noodles or curry or spring rolls.