Chinese Chicken Salad
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Salad for dinner? Yes, please! Packed with crunchy veggies and tender chicken, this Chinese chicken salad is the kind of light, feel-good meal you’ll crave all summer long.
Chinese chicken salad is a California-style dish that blends Chinese and American flavors in the best way. It may have peaked on restaurant menus in the ’90s, but I think it’s just as good today.
With crisp Napa cabbage, crunchy carrots and bell peppers, tender chicken, and a sesame-ginger dressing, it’s fresh, colorful, and satisfying enough to be dinner. I swap the usual fried wonton strips for toasted nuts to keep it a bit lighter, but if you love the crispy crunch of wontons, go ahead and add them. It’s easy to throw together, especially if you’ve got leftover or rotisserie chicken on hand.
“We loved the salad and especially the dressing! It makes a lot and the leftovers were just as good!”
What You’ll Need To Make Chinese Chicken Salad
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the dressing. In a food processor or blender, combine the rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, vegetable oil, garlic, and ginger. Blend until completely smooth.
Step 2: Assemble the salad: Combine the Napa cabbage, chopped romaine, bell pepper, scallions, grated carrots, fresh cilantro, salted cashews or peanuts, and shredded chicken. Add the dressing, little by little, and toss to combine, until the salad is dressed to your liking.
Step 3: Serve. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, serve, and enjoy!
More Asian-Style Salads You’ll Love
Chinese Chicken Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- ⅓ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 3½ tablespoons honey
- ¼ cup sesame oil (see note)
- ⅓ cup peanut or vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1½-in square piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped (see note)
For the Salad
- 4 cups chopped Napa cabbage
- 4 cups chopped romaine, or substitute more Napa cabbage
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 2 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
- ½ cup grated carrots, from 2 carrots
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ⅓ cup salted cashews or peanuts
- 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
Instructions
- Make the dressing: In a food processor or blender, combine all of the ingredients and blend until smooth.
- Assemble the salad: Combine all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Add dressing, little by little, and toss to combine, until the salad is dressed to your liking. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Look for toasted (Asian) sesame oil, which is dark in color and nutty in flavor, not the light, untoasted variety.
- Check out easy guidance for how to peel, grate, and chop fresh ginger.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Delicious! While halving the recipe I did everything exactly as suggested with only one addition – sugar snap peas from my garden,and one omission – I didn’t have any crispy romaine and my garden lettuce is a romaine hybrid but a little too tender for the recipe. The peas worked out great since they balanced the needed crunch that the lack of Romaine lettuce left out. Another great recipe – thank you!
We enjoy different dressings and I was excited to see this one. I haven’t tried the salad yet, but used the dressing for a cold pasta salad. I used rotini, shredded chicken, tomatoes from our garden, finely shredded carrots and thinly sliced almonds. I used avocado oil since I don’t have either. Made 1/2 of the amount of dressing. I wasn’t sure how much I would need for 8 oz of pasta. Wished I’d have made more as we really enjoyed the salad with this dressing. Will definitely be making it again.
If I had leftover dressing could I store it in the refrigerator and then let it come to room temp cuz I know the oil would solidify. And how long could I keep it.
Thanks for another great recipe!!!
Glad you liked the dressing! It should keep nicely in the fridge for three to four days.