Directions

• Step 1 Equipment. Chopping boards, Knives, Three large bowls, Strainer, Cuisinart or grater, Large trays or cookie sheets, Large pan for frying, Slotted spoon (I got mine at an Asian market, it’s also called a “Spider Strainer”), Paper towels, Funnel, Aluminum foil, Six servings tray (approx. 20”x13”).
• Step 2 The Salad. Peel and grate carrots (Cuisinart is a time-saver*), save in a bowl and refrigerate until salad assembly. Wash cilantro, shake dry, and rough-chop, up to thick stems with no leaves (discard thick stems). Wash and slice scallions (discard beard and top inch of scallion greens). Put scallions and cilantro in a bowl, refrigerate until assembly. Wash and slice the cabbage thin (pre-sliced or using Cuisinart are time-savers*) and refrigerate. Wash Romaine. I use a clean beach towel to dry the Romaine in. It’s fun to take the towel outside, and holding all the lettuce tight inside, spin around with it. It creates a “sprinkler”- and amuses all the kids who are helping! Chop Romaine lettuce, rough, and refrigerate.
• Step 3 The Toppings. Slice wontons into strips. Using a wide, deep, thick-bottomed pan for frying, heat one-gallon canola oil until hot. Fry one handful of sliced wontons at a time, stirring, so they brown evenly. Remove with slotted spoon onto tray lined with paper towels. When cooled, I store the fried wontons in a clean plastic trash bag. Reserve till salad assembly.
• Step 4 For raw almonds. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread whole raw almonds onto a cookie tray and bake for about 15 minutes, stirring half way through. Almonds should emit a nice toasted aroma and be very lightly toasted. Cool and rough chop. Reserve till salad assembly.
• Step 5 Strain Mandarin Oranges, reserve till salad assembly.
• Step 6 Once the chickens are cooled, remove all the meat and skin from the bones and hand shred or chop into bite-sized pieces. I like to use all the skin, as it adds flavor. Dress with two cups of sesame oil and stir. By this point I’m usually out of bowls, so I use oversized zip lock bags to hold the shredded chicken, until assembly, in fridge.
• Step 7 Dressing. Mix boiling h20 and peanut butter in a heat-proof bowl, stir until smooth and integrated. Peel and chop garlic fine. Peel and chop ginger fine. In a large bowl combine peanut butter and h2o mixture, chopped garlic, chopped ginger, Canola oil, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, salt, and pepper. Mix well until combined. Using funnel, pour the dressing into the empty One-gallon canola oil container. I like how this dressing is strong and savory, but if you prefer a sweeter dressing, you can add honey or agave, more canola oil, etc.
• Step 8 Assembly. Using large bowls or six serving trays begin by distributing all of the lettuce and cabbage evenly in your containers. Layer carrots, chicken, cilantro and scallions, mandarin oranges, and almonds. I save the wontons and dressing for right before serving.
• Step 9