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This Chinese Chicken Salad is crisp, refreshing, and packed with flavor. Chicken, cabbage, carrots, almonds, and crispy noodles are tossed in a simple homemade sesame dressing for the perfect light meal.
Chinese Chicken Salad is one of those fresh, crunchy salads that feels satisfying but still light and refreshing. It is packed with cabbage, grilled chicken, carrots, green onions, sliced almonds, and those classic chow mein noodles. Toss it all with a tangy sesame dressing, and you’ve got a salad that works just as well for lunch as it does for a simple dinner.
The ingredient list for this salad looks long, but don’t worry it is so darn easy! You can cook the chicken in advance, use leftover chicken or pick up rotisserie chicken to make it even easier. Chopping the veggies early in the week makes it very easy to throw this together any night. The dressing comes together in minutes, but you can take a shortcut and use a bottled dressing if you have one.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
- Grilled Chicken – you could use shrimp as well
- Romaine Lettuce
- Cabbage – you could use pre-shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix for a shortcut if desired.
- Shredded Carrots
- Sliced Almonds
- Wonton Strips
- Chow Mein Noodles
- Fresh Cilantro – not a fan? Leave it out or you can use parsley.
- Green Onions
Asian Dressing
- Olive Oil
- Sesame Oil
- Soy Sauce
- Brown Sugar
- Garlic
- Fresh Ginger
- Rice Vinegar
- Lime Juice
- Red Pepper Flakes
How To Make Chinese Chicken Salad
- Mix Veggies. Start by getting out one of your biggest bowls, this makes a lot! Add your cabbage, lettuce, veggies and anything else you want to the salad.
- Make Dressing. To make the dressing I like to use a mason jar that has a tight fitting lid. Then you can just pour all of the ingredients in and shake! You can make the dressing ahead of time and then just shake it up again when you want to use it.
- Serve. Wait to pour the dressing on the salad as well as add the crunchy toppings until you are ready to serve it.
Recipe Tips & Suggestions
- Add Mix-Ins. You can get super creative and add in whatever veggies you like. Snap Peas, Edamame or Bell Peppers are a great idea.
- Dressing. I have a homemade Asian dressing that I love in the recipe card below, but you can also use a store bought version if you prefer.
- Protein. This is a great use of leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken. But grilled shrimp is also really good in this salad.
Storage
It is best to only adding dressing to what will get eaten immediately. It will get soggy as it sits. The leftover salad can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge. The next day you can use the leftovers for lunch and just add on your crunchy toppings and the leftover dressing for a quick and easy lunch.
You can really make this salad your own and cater to the ingredients you and your family enjoys!
More Easy Dinner Recipes
- Tuscan Chicken Pasta
- Chicken Lo Mein
- Skillet Chili Mac
- Mexican Chopped Salad
- Chicken Salad with Grapes
Chinese Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups Romaine Lettuce
- 3 cups Cabbage, chopped
- 3 cups Leftover Rotisserie Chicken
- 1 1/2 cups Matchstick Carrots
- 1/2 cup Sliced Almonds
- 1/2 cup Wonton Strips
- 1/2 cup Chow Mein Noodles
- 1/4 cup Fresh Cilantro Leaves
- 1/4 cup Sliced Green Onions
For the Dressing:
- 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
- 2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Grated Fresh Ginger
- 2 tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 2 tablespoons Rice Vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Lime Juice
- 2 teaspoons Sesame Oil
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Instructions
- In a large bowl toss together all of the ingredients for the salad. Set aside.3 cups Romaine Lettuce, 3 cups Cabbage, 3 cups Leftover Rotisserie Chicken, 1 1/2 cups Matchstick Carrots, 1/2 cup Sliced Almonds, 1/2 cup Wonton Strips, 1/2 cup Chow Mein Noodles, 1/4 cup Fresh Cilantro Leaves, 1/4 cup Sliced Green Onions
- In a small jar add all of the ingredients for the salad dressing. Shake until well combined.1/4 cup Vegetable Oil, 2 tablespoons Soy Sauce, 2 tablespoons Grated Fresh Ginger, 2 tablespoons Brown Sugar, 2 tablespoons Rice Vinegar, 2 tablespoons Lime Juice, 2 teaspoons Sesame Oil, 2 cloves Garlic, 1 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- Pour salad dressing over the salad, tossing to combine until everything is well coated.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I love salad! I am always looking for new flavors and salad recipes!
This quickly became a favorite at my house! Thanks for the recipe!
Loved it!
Delicious, light and filling. Dressing is delicious!