Sesame Chicken Salad

To make the dressing: Put olive oil, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, brown sugar, and crushed red pepper flakes into a blender. Blend until completely emulsified. Taste the dressing and adjust to your taste (I usually add more vinegar and brown sugar but tastes may vary.) (Note: Can make the dressing in advance to allow flavors to develop.)

Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken and heat olive oil in a skillet or on a grill pan. Cook the chicken on both sides over medium heat until it has nice color on the surface and is totally cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, allow to rest for 5 minutes, and cut into cubes.

Place the cubed chicken into a bowl and pour 1/3 of the dressing over it, tossing to coat. Allow to sit for a few minutes, then sprinkle both colors of sesame seeds over the chicken and toss so that the seeds stick to the chicken. Add more seeds if you prefer a thicker coating.

To assemble the salad, place the salad greens, sliced onion, and the halved tomatoes in a large bowl. Pour on half the remaining dressing, reserving the rest if you’d like more later. Toss to coat. Arrange chicken, mandarin oranges all over the greens. Serve immediately.

Note: Wait until just before serving to toss the salad!