Thai-nese Chicken Salad

Pardon the pun, I couldn't help myself.  ;)  It started out as a Chinese-inspired chicken salad, then peanut sauce started sounding good and it just veered off in a different direction all by itself.  Sometimes I like it when someone else drives, you know?

Thai-nese Chicken Salad

(serves 2-3)

Chicken:
2 chicken breasts
salt, pepper, 5 spice mix (pinches)

Sprinkle spices on chicken and pan fry over medium heat in a very lightly greased (or nonstick) pan until cooked through and golden brown.

Dressing:
2 T peanut butter (chunky or creamy, whichever floats your boat)
2 T olive oil
2 t sesame oil
1 T rice wine vinegar
2-3 dashes hot sauce
1 T soy sauce (use tamari if you need to stay gluten free)

Whisk until the lumps disappear.  Unless, of course, you used chunky peanut butter.

Spicy Sweet Peanuts:
1/3 C unsalted peanuts
1/4 t sugar
2 pinches 5 spice mix

Dry roast peanuts over medium heat 3-5 minutes, until they start to smell 'toasted' and brown slightly.  Sprinkle sugar and spice over nuts and stir frequently for another 30-45 seconds, until sugar melts and coats the peanuts evenly.  Remove from heat and let cool completely.

Salad:
3-4 oz baby spinach leaves
1 bundle rice noodles, soaked 10 minutes and drained thoroughly
3 mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded & cut into half moons (you can leave the seeds in if you want - they just give me the creeps)
1 carrot, shredded
1 tomato, deseeded & diced (see creepy cucumber comment!)
1 serrano pepper, seeded & diced
1/3 orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 avocado, sliced
1 t toasted sesame seeds

Assemble in whatever fashion makes you happy.  ;)  This made two HUGE dinner salads and could easily have fed three.  Had I remembered I'd have to save room for dessert, I'd have held back a wee bit on the spinach.  I never have learned to make a 'small salad', though.