Make this salad!

Salad before chicken and final toppings

Asian Chicken & Orzo Salad (by Lauren; posted on "Tasty Kitchen")

• FOR THE DRESSING/MARINADE: ** See Erica's note below
  
• ¼ cups White Vinegar
• ¼ cups Canola Oil
• ¼ cups Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lime Juice
• 6 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
• ½ teaspoons Ground Ginger
• ⅛ teaspoons Salt
• ¼ teaspoons Black Pepper
• 1 clove Garlic, Minced

• FOR THE SALAD:
• 1 pound Orzo Pasta
• 4 whole Green Onions, Chopped
• 1 cup Diced Carrot (1 Cup Is About 2 Large)
• 1 whole Red Pepper, Diced
• 2 stalks Celery, Diced
• 1 whole Handful Of Fresh Baby Spinach, Chopped
• ½ cups Slivered Almonds, Toasted
• ½ cups Ramen Noodles, Crushed
• 6 whole Chicken Cutlets Or 3 Large Chicken Breasts Pounded Flat And Sliced Into Two
• Sesame Seeds, For Garnish

Mix all ingredients for the marinade/dressing together in a small bowl. Pour half of the mixture into a large zip top bag. Place chicken pieces into the marinade in the bag and seal. Move chicken around in bag to coat in marinade and store in refrigerator until ready to grill. Keep the other half of the dressing in a bowl for serving with the salad.

To make orzo salad, bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain completely and pour cooked orzo into a large bowl. Top with onions, carrot, red pepper, spinach and celery. Pour the other half of the dressing (the reserved dressing) over salad and toss to coat completely. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

To cook chicken, heat grill to high. Place chicken onto hot grill and cover. Cook 3-5 minutes per side. Cooking times may vary according to the thickness of the meat. **(I used my George Foreman Grill because I was short on time... Tasted great!)

To assemble, pour the orzo salad into a large serving dish. Top with toasted almonds and ramen noodles if desired. Place cooked chicken over top and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

**Erica's Note: I had a bottle of Ken's Low Calorie Asian Sesame (w/Soy and Ginger) in my fridge and it tasted exactly like the dressing recipe above. So, if you are short on time and don't care that it contains corn syrup & MSG... [I say this because I know some of you do!]... then I'd suggest using this salad dressing to save time.