Chinese Chicken Salad

4.91 from 31 votes

The BEST Chinese Chicken Salad made with shredded chicken, crisp romaine and cabbage, mandarin oranges, crunchy almonds and a homemade ginger-sesame dressing. Fresh, healthy and ready in just 15 minutes!

Prep Time15

Total Time15

Course: lunch, Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: Asian chicken salad, Asian chicken salad recipe, chicken salad with mandarin oranges, Chinese Chicken Salad, Chinese chicken salad dressing, Chinese chicken salad recipe, ginger sesame dressing, healthy Chinese chicken salad

Servings: Servings

Ingredients

2 cups cooked shredded chicken (I used rotisserie)
2 cups romaine lettuce, thinly chopped
2 cups napa cabbage, thinly chopped
1 cup carrots, julienned or shredded
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup mandarin oranges
1/3 cup sliced almonds (or cashews)
Garnish with sesame seeds, optional

For the Ginger-Sesame Dressing:

3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
2 tsp sesame oil
3 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

Make the dressing. Add rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, honey, fresh ginger, sesame oil and olive oil to a small mason jar. Seal the lid and shake vigorously until well combined. You can also whisk everything together in a bowl.
Prep the salad. Thinly chop the romaine and napa cabbage, julienne the carrots, slice the bell pepper and green onions, chop the cilantro and drain the mandarin oranges well.
Combine everything. Add the chicken, romaine, cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, green onions, cilantro, mandarin oranges and almonds to a large bowl.
Dress the salad. Just before serving, drizzle the ginger-sesame dressing over the salad and gently toss until everything is lightly coated.
Serve. Top with sesame seeds and additional almonds, if desired, and serve immediately.

Video

Notes

Prep ahead: Make the ginger-sesame dressing up to 5 days in advance and store it in a sealed jar in the refrigerator. Chop the vegetables and shred the chicken up to 2 days ahead. Store everything separately until ready to assemble.

Storage: Store undressed salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. For the best texture, keep the dressing, almonds and mandarin oranges separate and add them just before serving. Once dressed, the salad is best enjoyed within 24 hours.

Nutrition