Dianne salad

1. This is my version of the famous Dianne Salad served at Green St. Restaurant in Pasadena, Ca. In order to maximize the flavor, I like to brine the chicken before cooking it, but it's an optional step that you can eliminate if you're in a hurry. And who isn't when you're about to eat a Diane Salad!

2. Serves 2 or 3

3. Lots of crisp lettuce (fresh romaine)
3 or 4 chicken breasts
1 cup of toasted almond slivers
½ cup of Chinese bean thread or rice noodles
Dressing (follows)

4. Brine the Chicken breasts:

5. Mix 6 cups of cold water with 3 tablespoons of kosher salt and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Place the chicken breasts in the brine, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Pat dry.

6. Season each breast with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat for 3 or 4 minutes per side. Cover, remove from the heat and let sit for 20 minutes. Cut into ½ inch chunks and refrigerate until ready to assemble the salad. This can be done the day before.

7. Heat about 2 cups of oil in an 8” or 10” skillet until very hot. Drop a few of the bean thread noodles into the hot oil and as soon as the puff up, remove to a paper towel with tongs.

8. Dianne Salad dressing:

9. Combine the dressing ingredients (preferably in a jar so you can shake to mix), and set aside until ready to dress the salad.

10. Combine the romaine lettuce, almonds, chicken and noodles. Pour enough of the dressing onto the salad to coat it well without over-soaking it. The dressing that you may have left over will keep for a few weeks in a cool, dark place.