Chinese Chicken Salad
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Make a restaurant-quality Chinese chicken salad at home with this easy recipe featuring crisp veggies and tender chicken tossed in a delicious sesame-ginger dressing.
Chinese chicken salad is a California-style dish that perfectly blends the flavors of Chinese and American cuisine. Although it was a trendy restaurant menu item in the 1990s, for me, it’s a timeless favorite that will never go out of style. In fact, I would happily eat a salad like this every night of the week if I didn’t have a family to feed! The combination of fresh veggies, like Napa cabbage, crunchy carrots, and crisp bell peppers, combined with tender chicken and a sesame-ginger dressing make for a light and refreshing meal that always leaves you feeling satisfied.
In this version, I’ve swapped out the traditional fried wonton strips with nuts to make the salad a bit healthier. However, if you prefer the crispy crunch of wontons, go ahead and add them in! The recipe is very easy to throw together, especially if you use leftover or rotisserie chicken instead of cooking your own — give it a try to see why it’s one of my all-time favorites!
Table of Contents
“Great salad—crunchy and flavorful, and very easy. I used some of the dressing to marinate pounded chicken breasts for a couple of hours then grilled them. Will definitely make again!”
What You’ll Need To Make Chinese Chicken Salad
Step-by-Step Instructions
Make the dressing: In a food processor or blender, combine all of the dressing ingredients.
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.
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Chinese-Style Chicken Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing
Make a restaurant-quality Chinese chicken salad at home with this easy recipe featuring crisp veggies and tender chicken tossed in a delicious sesame-ginger dressing.
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- ⅓ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 3½ tablespoons honey
- ¼ cup Asian/toasted sesame oil
- ⅓ cup peanut or vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1½ inch 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.
- Note: For easy guidance on how to peel, grate, and chop fresh ginger, click here.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 608
- Fat: 48 g
- Saturated fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Sugar: 19 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 19 g
- Sodium: 989 mg
- Cholesterol: 53 mg
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.
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Comments
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Your recipe did not disappoint. I can not wait to try others. Thank you for a great meal. Keeper!!
Alexis
Sonoma, California
Out of this world! Thank you so much for this spectacular dressing recipe!
Is the sesame oil in the sesame ginger dressing roasted or unroasted?
Hi Eugene, either one is fine!
Whats the portion size for this?
I think a portion would be about 2 generous cups. Hope you enjoy!
I don’t use peanut oil but I like the nut flavor. Would it be better to substitute vegetable oil or a combination of vegetable oil and peanut butter?
Hi Kami, I would just use vegetable oil in place of the peanut oil.
The calorie count seems extremely high. Is this for the entire salad or per serving?
Hi Polly, Please see the updated nutritional data – it was incorrect. The calorie count is for one dinner-size portion.
Sounds like a fantastic recipe. Wondering if you meant roasted sesame oil or unroasted?
Hi Julie, unroasted is fine. Enjoy!
Love this recipe for chicken salad, so delicious, fresh and satisfying. Your pictures are lovely too.
Just tried the Chinese Chicken Salad, and it was wonderful!! Been trying your recipes for the last year and have never been disappointed!! Thank you for all the recipes!! Can hardly wait for the cook book!!
Best…Dennis
I made this today for my husband and I and we both loved it!! The only thing I omitted was the cilantro, other than that followed the recipe to a “T”. It was quick and easy to make. Try this one, you will not be disappointed.
I would really like to try this salad recipe, however, my husband can’t have nuts. Is there a substitute for the peanut oil or can I just leave it out?
Thanks
Vegetable oil would be a good substitute. Enjoy!