Healthy Chinese Chicken Salad

For the chicken:
Wrap each chicken breast in plastic wrap or place in a plastic bag and pound each piece with a mallet or rolling pin until chicken breast is an even thickness—this will make it cook evenly! Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.

Heat sesame oil in a pan over medium high heat. Once oil is heated, place chicken breasts in the pan and cook, about 5–8 minutes per side, until done. Check internal temperature of the chicken with a meat thermometer and remove when chicken has reached 165ºF.

Allow chicken to cool while prepping the rest of the salad, then slice chicken into 1-2 inch strips as desired.

For the toasted almonds:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spread sliced almonds evenly on a baking sheet. Toast almonds in oven for 5 minutes, then remove and stir and turn them with a spatula, then return them to the oven and bake for another 3–4 minutes until golden brown.

For the vegetables:
Chop romaine lettuce. Shred cabbage using a knife or food processor. Dice green onion. Slice cucumber in half lengthwise then cut into thin slices.

For the sesame vinaigrette:
Whisk white wine vinegar, coconut aminos, sesame oil, dry mustard, minced garlic, grated ginger, liquid stevia, and salt, until well combined.

To build the salad, combine romaine lettuce, red cabbage, cucumbers, and green onions in a large bowl. Drizzle with a small amount of sesame vinaigrette (it doesn’t take much, so start small and add more as needed) and toss to coat salad evenly. Top with chicken and toasted almonds.