Sesame Ginger Chicken Pitas

On the first day of our honeymoon in Hawaii, we went to lunch at a little place called Cheeseburger in Paradise.

Normally, I won't touch chicken salad with a 10-foot pole because I absolutely loathe mayo. But I noticed a "Polynesian Chicken Salad Sandwich" on the menu that was made with a ginger sauce instead of mayo, and decided to give it a try. Michael got it, too, and we were both really impressed by it. Honestly, it was maybe my favorite meal of the entire honeymoon, and we had a lot of nice ones!

Ever since then, I've been wanting to come up with a copycat recipe. The problem has always been the dressing. Someone on The Nest suggested trying a ginger salad dressing, and so today, I decided to give it a go. I switched it up and instead of putting the chicken mixture on a wheat roll like the restaurant, I bought some whole wheat pitas.

Quite honestly, at the end of the day, this wasn't a success for me. I picked up a bottle of Sesame Ginger dressing, fearing that I might not like it (I was pretty sure I had tasted something similar before), and as it turned out, I hated it. It was definitely nothing like the ginger sauce/dressing used on the sandwiches at Cheeseburger in Paradise. When I looked back at the menu online, the description mentions that the sandwich also includes mango chutney. I don't remember that at all, but who knows... maybe that is what my sauce was missing. I did see a mango ginger dressing at the store, so maybe we will try that next time.

Anyway, I'm still sharing this recipe because my husband really liked it. And for all of you out there who like sesame ginger dressing--this will be right up your alley. For the people who don't like it, like me? Well, you can still make these and personalize them to your tastes by using a dressing you do like. I ended up tossing my chicken mixture with some honey dijon vinaigrette dressing and it was good.

The search continues for the perfect dressing...

Sesame Ginger Chicken Pitas
(Inspired by the Polynesian Chicken Salad Sandwich at Cheeseburger in Paradise)

Ingredients:
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into really small chunks or strips
- 1 small/medium red pepper, diced
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup green onions, diced
- 1 small can water chesnuts, diced
- 1/2 cup chopped cashews
- sesame ginger dressing

Directions:
1. In large skillet, brown chicken over medium-high heat.

2. Add red pepper, green onions, water chesnuts and cashews. Cook until peppers become soft and the whole mixture is warmed through.

3. Add dressing (use your own judgement on the amount) and toss to coat.

4. Spoon mixture into pitas.