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Asian Chicken Salad – light, healthy, and packed with flavor! Crisp cabbage tossed with carrots, sweet red bell pepper, green onions, fresh cilantro, and tender chicken. It’s finished off with an umami peanut dressing and crunchy chow mein noodles. This is so good for when you’re craving a protein-packed flavorful Chinese inspired salad!
This Chinese chicken salad is the perfect way to enjoy Asian inspired flavors at home! The salad is made with napa and red cabbage, shredded chicken, and a delicious peanut dressing. It’s also topped with crunchy chow mein noodles for an extra bit of texture and flavor. This recipe is sure to become a new family favorite!
Why This Chinese Chicken Salad is So Good
- Flavorful. This salad is packed with fresh flavor from all the vegetables and cilantro. The napa and red cabbage give it a nice refreshing crunch, while the green onions and cilantro add plenty of flavor.
- Light and healthy. This salad is a great option if you’re looking for something light and healthy. It’s full of veggies and lean protein, and the peanut dressing is relatively light.
- Quick and easy to make. This salad comes together quickly and easily. It’s perfect for a weeknight meal or as a quick lunch.
- Leftovers keep well. This salad actually gets better as it sits, so it’s great for making ahead of time. The leftovers will keep in the fridge for a few days, making it perfect for meal prep.
Ingredients to Make Asian Chicken Salad
- Cabbage: I used Napa cabbage, which is also called Chinese cabbage along with some red cabbage. You can use a combination of the two or either one and you an also just use green cabbage.
- Vegetables: Red peppers, carrot and green onions, all finely sliced.
- Shredded chicken: Using pre-shredded chicken makes it a no-cook recipe that you can assemble and toss quickly with the dressing.
- Asian salad dressing: Rice vinegar, peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame seed oil, garlic and ginger all blended together for a smooth consistency. *After some feedback and further testing and tasting, I decided to add 2 tablespoons honey to the dressing for a sweeter result, but this is optional.
RECIPE VIDEO TUTORIAL
This video shows how to make the Asian Chicken Salad, with one slight difference. In the video, I use chicken breast that is marinated in a Chinese Five Spice blend. This is how I originally created this Chinese chicken salad recipe, but since then simplified it to include shredded chicken.
How To Make Asian Chicken Salad
For this Asian inspired salad recipe, you’re going to want to start by making your peanut salad dressing first. This will give the flavors more time to meld together before you add it to your chopped salad.
Make the Asian Salad Dressing
- Place all the ingredients for the salad dressing in a small blender or food processor.
- You’ll know it’s done when there are no longer any chunks of ginger or garlic and the dressing color is homogenous.
Assemble the Salad
- In a large bowl, combine the Napa cabbage, red cabbage, shredded chicken, red peppers, carrots, green onions, and cilantro.
- Pour the dressing over the bowl of cabbage and vegetables.
- Toss to combine.
- Serve.
Tips for Making Chinese Chicken Salad
- Blend the peanut dressing ingredients until smooth and homogenous. If you don’t have a food processor you can whisk it together by hand in a bowl and grate the ginger and garlic.
- Chop the cabbage and vegetables as finely as possible. This will make it easier to eat and also help the flavors of the dressing to penetrate each bite. Learn the best way to cut and shred cabbage.
- Make sure to taste the salad before you serve it. You may need to adjust the seasoning as necessary. You may want to add a bit more salt, pepper, or acidity depending on your preferences.
- Boil your chicken breasts. Boiled chicken is easier to shred and tends to cook more evenly than grilled or oven-baked chicken. You can use leftovers from another meal, or a rotisserie chicken.
POPULAR SUBSTITUTIONS & ADDITIONS
- Mix up your protein. This salad would also work really well with some cooked shrimp. You can also make this salad vegan by swapping the shredded chicken for baked tofu or shredded jackfruit.
- Skip the crunchy noodles. If you prefer not to have any crunchy noodles, the salad is definitely crunchy on its own from all the fresh vegetables. You can also add some toasted peanuts for an added crunch.
- Add in some bean sprouts. Bean sprouts are a classic addition to any Asian-inspired dish. They would be a great addition to this salad and add some extra crunch.
- Make it spicier. If you like things spicy, you can add in some sriracha or red pepper flakes to the dressing. You can also top your salad with some pickled jalapeños for an extra kick.
Frequently asked questions
This salad is great on its own as a light lunch or dinner. If you’re looking for something to serve with it, I recommend egg or spring rolls.
There are a few things you can do to thicken up your dressing. The first is to add in more peanut butter. This will help to thicken it up and also add more flavor. Another option is to add in some cornstarch or arrowroot powder. Simply whisk it into the dressing until it’s combined and has reached the desired consistency.
This salad will last in the fridge for a few days, 3-4. It’s great for meal prep, just pack it into individual containers after prepping. The cabbage and vegetables may start to wilt, and the dressing may become more watery, but it will still taste good. Simply give everything a good stir before serving.
For more salad recipes, check out:
- Asian Noodle Salad
- Shrimp Avocado Salad
- Vegan Macaroni Salad
- Mediterranean Pasta Salad
- Asian Lettuce Wraps
If you try this healthy-ish feel, good Asian Chicken Salad recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
This Asian Chicken Salad recipe was originally published on March 3, 2018. The recipe has been modified mostly to switch out the cooked chicken breast with shredded chicken. The post now includes new step-by-step photos of how to make the salad.
Asian Chicken Salad
Video
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 6 cups Napa cabbage thinly sliced
- 1 cup red cabbage thinly sliced
- 2 cups shredded chicken
- 1 cup carrots shredded
- 1 red pepper julienned
- 3 green onions thinly sliced
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- Chow mein crunchy noodles for serving
For the Dressing
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons honey optional, but recommended
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 1-inch thumb fresh ginger
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the Napa cabbage, red cabbage, shredded chicken, red peppers, carrots, green onions and cilantro.
- In a small blender or food processor, blend together the ingredients for the dressing: rice vinegar, soy sauce, peanut butter, sesame seed oil, garlic and ginger. Taste and season with salt if needed.
- Pour the dressing over the bowl of cabbage and vegetables, and toss to combine. Divide into four bowls and top with crunchy noodles, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
I made this but as a warm salad with cooked veggies and it was amazing! The dressing is so good.
Ooh yum, that sounds good! Thank you!!
Dressing is off. Had to look elsewhere for peanut dressing
Sorry it didn’t turn out how you expected, Marga. Was there something specific about it you didn’t like?
We liked everything about this salad except the dressing. I found it to be quite sour or tart. I eat a version of this at a local restaurant, and the dressing is somewhat sweet. I had to modify the dressing in this recipe and add a significant amount of honey.
Thank you for the feedback, Kathy! I’m glad you liked the salad and appreciate your comment about the dressing—I’m going to retest the recipe to see if I’d like to add a sweetener.
Was very good! We made both chicken katsu and just pan cooked chicken breast with teriyaki to go with it. I did need to add some honey and a bit more peanut butter to the dressing, was a little too acidic for me. But otherwise this was very good!
Thanks for your feedback!