Today’s recipe for Chinese chicken salad is something that I have been wanting to share for a long time. It is hands down my favorite salad for when I’m craving something healthy, filling, and most importantly, delicious.
Made with a mixture of crunchy cabbage, shredded carrots, green onions, cilantro, and chicken breast. All of which is tossed in a simple homemade salad dressing that is full of flavor. And of course, you can’t forget to garnish it with crispy chow mein noodles and or wonton strips for an amazing texture.
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- Can’t find napa cabbage? Then feel free to swap it out with either regular green cabbage, savoy cabbage, bok choy, or even a combination of romaine or iceberg lettuce.
- Similarly, you have a lot of options when it comes to the chicken used in this recipe. I personally prefer chicken breast because it’s leaner. But you can use thighs if you want a little bit more fat and flavor. You can cook the chicken by grilling it, poaching it, or even use an instant pot(my favorite method). Or if you’re just feeling lazy and don’t want to cook chicken at all you can always buy a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and shred it at home.
- Think of this salad as a template that you can experiment with and expand on. For example, you can add in fruit like mandarin oranges or even other veggies like sugar snap peas and red bell pepper.
- The salad and the dressing will stay good for at least a week which makes this a great recipe for meal prep. Just divide the salad and the dressing into individual servings and place them in separate containers. Then simply toss a serving with a bit of the salad dressing when you are ready.
- Try out some of our other great salad recipes like Farro & Arugula Salad, my Dad’s Summer Salad, and Vegan Broccoli Salad.
Chinese Chicken Salad Recipe
Total time: 1 Hour
Servings: 3 to 4
Ingredients
For the salad:
4 Cups of Napa cabbage, shredded
1 Cup of Red cabbage, shredded
1 Cup of carrots, shredded
4 to 5 green onions, sliced thin on a diagonal
2 Cups of cooked chicken breast, shredded
¼ Cup of cilantro, roughly chopped (optional)
For the Dressing:
1 Tablespoon of ginger, grated or finely minced
⅓ Cup of seasoned rice wine vinegar
¼ Cup of hoisin sauce
2 Tablespoons of neutral-flavored oil, like canola or vegetable
1 Tablespoon of soy sauce
½ Teaspoon of toasted sesame oil
½ Teaspoon of honey
A pinch or two of black pepper
Optional Garnishes:
Crispy chow mein noodles
Wonton strips
Slivered almonds
Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Prep the chicken: Cook your chicken breasts by either grilling them or poaching them in water until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Transfer the cooked chicken breast to a cutting board and use two forks to shred it.
Put the shredded chicken into a container or plastic bag and then place it in your fridge to cool down for at least 1 hour or preferably overnight.
- Make the salad dressing: Put all of the ingredients for the salad dressing into a bowl and use a whisk to incorporate them together.
Place this in your fridge as well to be used later.
- Make and toss the salad: Once the chicken has cooled completely place it into a large bowl along with the other salad ingredients.
Pour the dressing over top and toss the salad.
- Serve the Chinese chicken salad into individual bowls and top with optional garnishes to your preference. Enjoy!
Chinese Chicken Salad Recipe
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 4 Cups of Napa cabbage shredded
- 1 Cup of Red cabbage shredded
- 1 Cup of carrots shredded
- 4 to 5 green onions sliced thin on a diagonal
- 2 Cups of cooked chicken breast shredded
- ¼ Cup of cilantro roughly chopped (optional)
For the Dressing:
- 1 Tablespoon of ginger grated or finely minced
- ⅓ Cup of seasoned rice wine vinegar
- ¼ Cup of hoisin sauce
- 2 Tablespoons of neutral-flavored oil like canola or vegetable
- 1 Tablespoon of soy sauce
- ½ Teaspoon of toasted sesame oil
- ½ Teaspoon of honey
- A pinch or two of black pepper
Optional Garnishes:
- Crispy chow mein noodles
- Wonton strips
- Slivered almonds
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Prep the chicken: Cook your chicken breasts by either grilling them or poaching them in water until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Transfer the cooked chicken breast to a cutting board and use two forks to shred it. Put the shredded chicken into a container or plastic bag and then place it in your fridge to cool down for at least 1 hour or preferably overnight.
- Make the salad dressing: Put all of the ingredients for the salad dressing into a bowl and use a whisk to incorporate them together. Place this in your fridge as well to be used later.
- Make and toss the salad: Once the chicken has cooled completely place it into a large bowl along with the other salad ingredients. Pour the dressing over top and toss the salad.
- Serve the Chinese chicken salad into individual bowls and top with optional garnishes to your preference. Enjoy!
