Crispy Chicken with Gingery Cabbage, Mandarins, and Almonds

I can’t fully explain how obsessed I am with the flavors in this salad. After learning about it in Salad Freak in December 2022, I must have made it fifteen times during the Winter up until Napa cabbage was no longer available at my local farm stand. I researched seeds as early as January that would do well for my area and I tried growing them to ‘keep the party going,’ but early hot weather brought bugs. As the growing season in the Spring is much shorter, I wasn’t able to get them to maturity in time. As of November, I’m prepared with more than ten cabbages succession planted in my garden and plan to make the dressing in bulk to have on hand for easy assembly. 

Dressing and Glaze: 

• 1 tbsp liquid or grated ginger
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp flavorful sesame oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• S&P to taste
• 1 tbsp fermented hot sauce
• 3 tbsp sweet chili sauce

1. Whisk ingredients and let sit during the remaining steps.
2. Mix fermented chili paste with sweet chili sauce in a small bowl.

Salad:

• ½ head napa cabbage, cut in half vertically and sliced in thin strips
• 1 bunch scallions, diced
• 3 mandarins, peeled and separated
• 1 cup mint leaves, torn
• ⅓ cup sliced almonds

Prep the Crispy Chicken:

• 1lb of chicken cutlets
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• S&P
• 1 tbsp dried spices (e.g., garlic powder, oregano, etc.)
• ½ cup parmesan (optional)
• Neutral oil for frying

1. Make a breading station with two shallow bowls. Add two eggs to a bowl and beat with a fork or whisk. Add breadcrumbs, spices, parmesan, s&p to the other bowl and mix. 
2. Coat each piece of chicken in the egg mixture and dredge it into the panko mixture. Use a fork or tongs to keep your hands clean and help push additional panko to the chicken. 
3. Set chicken aside onto a plate and clean up anything that touched raw meat. 
4. In a heavy skillet, pour a ½ inch of oil and heat to medium-high. Check if the oil is hot enough by adding a breadcrumb to see if it sizzles.
5. Fry breaded chicken 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through. Set aside to cool and sprinkle with more salt.

Assemble:

1. Combine the cabbage, scallions, mandarins, mint leaves, and sliced almonds into a bowl and use tongs to toss it with the dressing.
2. Plate chicken cutlet and spread a thin layer of chili mix across the top.
3. Serve salad generously on top of the chicken. Repeat for all servings.