That Ramen Salad Thing (Oriental Chicken and Ramen Noodle Salad)

Hey!  It's been a couple of days, I know.  I've been searching for important paperwork (which I never did find.  GREAT.)

But a friend of mine mentioned she was craving a salad I made a couple times when she was living here.  She called it "that toasted ramen salad with the peanut butter flavoring in it."  I call it "That Ramen Salad Thing" but probably a nicer name is "Oriental Chicken Salad" or something.

It's simple to make, and it's not peanut butter, it's sesame seed oil.  Sesame seeds taste a lot like peanut butter to our American palettes. You can omit the chicken and/or add some cooked tofu or pork or whatever - but I can't guarantee that tastes good.  It does taste fine without the chicken.  You can buy pre-cooked chicken for salads, that makes less work for lazy chefs (like me, when I'm alone.) Make sure to use rice vinegar and sesame seed oil, don't substitute. Sesame seeds, toasted sesame seed oil and rice vinegar can all be found with the oriental foods at your grocery.

That Ramen Salad Thing

You will Need:
A medium pan
A large bowl
Measuring spoons and cups and stuff
1 package instant ramen noodles (oriental flavor works best.)
2 tablespoons oil or butter
1 bag coleslaw mix cabbage (fine shred.)
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar (or a substitute like Splenda or Truvia.)
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil (add 1/4 cup of canola if this is not enough oil for you)
1/2 cup sliced almonds (you could also use peanuts.)
2-3 green onions, sliced into cute little rounds
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
2  boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

1) Heat your pan, add oil or butter.  Remove the noodles and flavoring packet from their package.  Sprinkle the seasoning in the oil, mixing it well.  Crumble up the noodles into chunks (How fine you break them up is kind of personal preference.)  Fry them in the pan until they start to brown a bit. make sure they get the oil and seasoning on them.
2) Into the bowl, add  rice vinegar, and sugar. Mix.  Most of the sugar should dissolve a bit.  Then add the oil, and mix again.
3) Into the large bowl, empty the bag of coleslaw. Start tossing it with the dressing, adding the almonds, onions, sesame seeds, fried up noodles, and chicken as you toss.
4) Put the salad in your mouth, and eat it. (Not all at once, you!  Slowly, like a LADY.)

Alternatively, you could add the chicken and ramen on top of the salad as you serve it.  It will keep the noodles crunchier.  If you are serving people at like, a pot luck, I would mix the salad dressing in a separate container until it's nearly time to serve it.  The salad will keep, but not too long, the noodles get soggy, and the coleslaw mix gets limp.

Hope you enjoy it!