Ming's Chicken Salad

Chicken salad is not an uncommon dish in fancy Chinese
restaurants in San Francisco.  Ming's Restaurant, in
Palo Alto, serves a dish very close to this one.  It
is perfect for a summer meal or a meeting at which you
wish to feed a good-size group of people but do not
want to do any cooking.  

This dish is prepared in several stages and then thrown
together at the last minute.  

Chicken Sesame Deep-fried:  
   8 chicken thighs (about 1 pound)  

Marinade:  
   2 tablespoons light soy sauce 
   1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger 
   2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry 
   1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper 
   1 egg white, beaten 
   1/2 cup flour 
   1/2 cup cornstarch 
   1/2 cup sesame seeds 
   6 cups peanut oil for frying  

The Noodles:  
   2 ounces cellophane (sai fun) noodles  

The Dressing:  
   3 tablespoons light soy sauce 
   1/2 tablespoon dry mustard 
   3 tablespoons sesame oil 
   juice of 1/2 lemon 
   1/4 cup rice wine vinegar 
   1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder 
   1 teaspoon salt 
   1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
   4 tablespoons peanut oil 
   1/2 teaspoon sugar   

The salad:  
   12 green onions, slivered 
   1 bunch Chinese parsley, chopped 
   1/2 cup thinly sliced water chestnuts 
   2 quarts shredded iceberg lettuce  

Prepare the marinade and marinate the chicken thighs
for 20 minutes.  Drain and mix with the egg white. Mix
the flour, cornstarch, and sesame seeds together and
dredge the thighs in this coating mix.  

Using a pair of kitchen shears, cut the dry noodles
into 2-inch lengths.  Deep-fry at 360 degrees for just
a moment.  Be sure to have a tray covered with paper
towels ready for draining the noodles.  They will cook
in just a second or two and will puff up greatly.  Fry
them in 3 different batches and drain them well.  Set
aside.  

Deep-fry the chicken thighs at 360 degrees until golden
brown and crunchy, about 14 minutes.  

Prepare the dressing and chop the vegetables.  Debone
the chicken thighs and julienne the meat.  Toss all
together except the noodles.  They should go in last,
just before serving.  They are the source of the 
crunchiness that makes this salad so fresh and
appealing. 

Serves 6 as a main luncheon course 
or 8-20 as a Chinese dinner course

Source:  The Frugal Gourmet