Chinese Chicken Salad (2024)

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Instead of using the “kitchen sink” approach, this crunchy, colorful Chinese Chicken Salad has a carefully-curated selection of vegetables and toppings. The dressing is delicious and doubles as a marinade and dipping sauce, too.

Cabbage has superpowers: it almost never wilts, it’s super affordable, and it’s packed with nutrients. Andit lasts forever and a day in the fridge, so now you know what you can do with the one rolling around in your veggie drawer!

Even though it’s really easy, the recipe is completely homemade, right down to the dressing, which is so good you’ll be tempted to drink it. And, no real cooking is required. Take that, weekday.

Recipe ingredients

Ingredient notes

• Rice vinegar: It might also be labeled as “rice wine vinegar” (they are the same thing).
• Hoisin sauce: Usually used as a sweet glaze for meat, hoisin sauce is made from soy beans, fennel, garlic, and chili peppers. Easy to find in the Asian foods section of any grocery.
• Canola oil: Or any neutral oil, like grapeseed oil or light olive oil.
• Fresh ginger:Do not substitute ground (powdered) ginger because it doesn’t have the same flavor.
• Napa cabbage: Lighter in texture (almost fluffy) than regular cabbage. If you can’t find it, use Savoy cabbage, bok choy, or plain old green cabbage. Find outhow to cut cabbagelike a pro, too.
• Chicken: Leftover rotisserie chicken or yesterday’s grilled chicken breasts work great. You can even use some of the salad dressing as a marinade before cooking, to boost the flavor up even more (Safety first: make extra dressing for the marinade, then discard whatever comes into contact with raw meat).
• Cilantro: If you don’t like cilantro, leave it out or substitute something else (fresh basil or parsley would both be good).

Step-by-step instructions

1. To make the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, ginger, and sesame oil. Allow flavors to blend at room temperature while preparing the rest of the salad.

2. In a large bowl, add chicken, green and red cabbage, carrots, scallions, and cilantro.

3. Drizzle with salad dressing.

4. Toss to combine and sprinkle with chow mein noodles and sesame seeds.

Recipe tips and variations

• Yield: This recipe makes 6 generous, entrée-sized servings.
• Storage: Store leftover salad covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Cabbage holds up better than lettuce, so this salad has staying-power.
• Make ahead: Make the dressing up to 4 days before you need it. Just store in the refrigerator until you’re ready. The salad is best when tossed just before you’re ready to eat.
• More mix-ins:Try slivered, toasted almonds, ramen noodles, edamame, bean sprouts, bok choy, wonton crisps, pea pods, or mandarin orange segments.
• Rainbow Thai Salad with Mango:A vegetarian version of the Thai Chicken Salad, this version has kale, carrots, and sweet slices of mango.
• Thai Chicken Salad: This colorful saladis loaded with fresh herbs and vegetables,grilled lemon chicken, and a pantry-friendlypeanut dressing. It’s a great recipe to add to your meal rotation if you’re looking for nutrient-dense, unprocessed meals.
• More Asian flavors: Start off your next Asian meal with Cream Cheese Wontons or Pot Stickers. Try a side dish of quick Brown Fried Rice or Baby Bok Choy Salad with Sesame Dressing. For a delicious main dish, try Hibachi Steak with Wasabi Potatoes and a drizzle of Teriyaki Sauce (inspired by The Cheesecake Factory).

Recipe FAQs