This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tyson Foods, Inc. All opinions are entirely my own.

Who’s ready to send their kids back to school already? I’m shocked at how quickly this summer has flown by and can’t believe that it’s already time to start prepping for back to school! I know that once we get into the swing of all things school that things are going to be hectic and crazy. I feel like our days are already flying by and most evenings I’m whipping together a quick dinner last minute, so I imagine that adding the weekday school hustle is going to make things even tougher.

To make things simpler this fall, I’m beginning to put together a master list of all my favorite simple and easy recipes for quick weeknight dinners. I don’t want to constantly have the temptation of going out to eat or picking up drive-thru, especially as we’ve been working hard to stay consistent with eating healthier, more nutritious meals.

One of my favorite meals to quickly make when short on time is Chinese Crispy Chicken Salad. This salad has it all: Tyson® Crispy Chicken Strips, fresh veggies, sweet mandarins, topped with crunchy chow mein noodles, and a simple dressing that ties all aspects of this salad together with a variety of flavors and textures.

The best part is that it only takes less than 20 minutes to make (even less if you have everything prepared earlier in the week). It’s about as low key as you can get, which is a must after a long day. To simplify, I reach for Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips, as everyone in the family loves them and they are perfect for weeknight meals (yay for no prep work or defrosting!). I can easily bake them in the oven and put together the rest of dinner while they finish baking.

I love the ease of using Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips, especially as they take only 18 minutes to cook in the oven. Tyson Strips are made with all-natural, minimally processed chicken raised with no antibiotics ever and no added hormones or steroids and loaded with 13 grams of protein per serving. Convenience and quality food is a must for my family and Tyson Chicken Strips check both those boxes.

I’ve found over time that the more colorful and interesting the salad is, the more likely my kids will be interested in it. My kids LOVE the mandarins and crunchy chow mein in this salad and the slightly sweet and nutty dressing makes everyone want to gobble it down. If your kids are picky eaters, then it’s easy to modify this salad and pick and choose which ingredients they will enjoy.

Chinese Crispy Chicken Salad with Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette

This salad has it all: Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips, fresh veggies,  sweet mandarins, topped with crunchy chow mein noodles, and a simple sesame ginger vinaigrette dressing that ties everything all together with a variety of flavors and textures.
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Asian
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

Salad

  • 12 ounces Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips half a bag
  • 3 cups romaine chopped
  • 3 cups spring mix
  • 2 cups broccoli slaw mix julienned broccoli, red cabbage and carrots
  • 3/4 cup mandarins drained
  • 3/4 cup chow mein noodles
  • 1/4 cup toasted almond slivers
  • green onions diced, optional
  • red pepper julienned, optional
  • snow peas optional
  • sesame seeds optional

Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette

  • 1/2 cup avocado or vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 3 Tbsp soy sauce can substitute with liquid aminos
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 inches ginger peeled and grated (grate into bowl and also add the juice)
  • 2 Tbsp honey can also use agave or 1 Tbsp of sugar
  • 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil may use more or less for desired taste

Instructions
 

Salad and Chicken

  • Bake or microwave chicken strips according to directions on package.
  • While chicken is cooking, begin to make your ginger sesame vinaigrette (recipe below). After dressing is made, mix romaine, spring mix, slaw mix, red pepper, snow peas, green onions, almonds, and chow mein noodles in large bowl.
  • When chicken is done, plate individual salads and top with chicken strips. Garnish with mandarins and sesame seeds. Add dressing as desired.

Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette

  • Add all ingredients together and mix well.

Notes

Everything can be mixed together in one large bowl, but I prefer to keep the chicken, mandarins and dressing separate to keep salad more fresh and crispy until serving time.
If able, prepare dressing ahead of time to allow flavors to fully develop. There are also many sesame ginger dressings that can be purchased pre-made to save more time and make preparation easier.
 

Right now there are some awesome promotions going on with Tyson products in celebration of the upcoming/recent release of Teen Titans Go! To the Movies (don’t miss out on the fun quizzes and photo frames they have on their site)! There is an upcoming Instagram giveaway for a chance to win two movie tickets to see Warner Brothers

Teen Titans Go! To the Movies (keep an eye on my Instagram for more info) and a great promotion with Shopkick! If you use Shopkick, shoppers can earn up to 400 kicks (100 per product – Tyson Chicken Nuggets or Strips, Hillshire Farm® Lunchmeats, State Fair® Corn Dogs, and Jimmy Dean® Frozen Breakfast) that can be redeemed for gift cards or Fandango movie tickets.

Make sure to pick up Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips on your next Walmart run (and all the other yummy ingredients too) to make your back to school weeknights simple and delicious!

What’s your favorite kind of salad? Are you ready for your kids to go back to school?

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