Crispy Chicken Salad

Tonight, we've decided to try a recipe for Crispy Chicken Salad, that Food Gal clipped out of Taste of Home. Some of the ingredients and directions weren't to our liking, so ours is better categorized as inspired by the recipe. The name of this recipe is somewhat of a misnomer, it is more of a crispy salad with chicken...the chicken wasn't crispy at all.

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1	TBSP	butter
1/8	cup	sliced almonds
2	TBSP	sugar, divided
1/8	cup	olive oil
1	TBSP	cider vinegar
	dash	salt
	dash	hot pepper sauce
2	cups	torn lettuce
1	cup	cubed, cooked chicken (~1 large breast
3/4	cup	chow mein noodles
2	8-oz cans	unsweetened pineapple tidbits
1/2	cup	chopped celery (~2 stalks)
In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add almonds, cook and stir for 2-3 minutes until slightly toasted. Sprinkle with 1 TBSP sugar, cook and stir 1 minute longer until sugar is melted. Spread on foil to cool. In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the oil, vinegar, salt, hot pepper sauce and remaining 1 TBSP sugar. Shake until sugar is dissolved. In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, chicken, noodles, pineapple, and celery. Shake the dressing and drizzle over salad. Toss to coat. Serve salad and break apart and sprinkle sugared almonds over salad. Yield: 2 servings (when served as main course)

Special Note: Pay extra attention to the almonds. Food Guy had to do this part twice, as he burnt the first batch.

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Food Guys says: I liked this salad. The sweetness from the dressing, almonds, and pineapple mixed well with the bitter celery taste. The lettuce made up less than half of the food, so it seemed less like a salad to me. I rank this one:

Food Gal says: I also enjoyed the salad. I am not sure how I felt about the chow mein noodles. When they were covered in dressing, they were ok, but by themselves I didn't really feel like they fit. The almonds were especially tasty. I rank this: