The secret to this Chinese Chicken Salad is the dressing and the crunchy ramen topping. A colorful mixture of flavor and texture tossed together with a sweet and tangy dressing is perfect for meal prep or an on-the-go lunch.
This is the season for quick, healthy, and light lunches and dinners. This Easy Orange Pomegranate Salad, Strawberry Spinach Salad, and Grilled Cajun Chicken Salad are also some of my favorite go-to's!
You guys know that I'm not crazy about salad. However, when I find a salad recipe that is healthy and is pretty much acts as comfort food, then I'm all in! And let me tell you, this Chinese Chicken Salad recipe will do the trick!
It starts with a plethora of texture and flavorful. It's made with cabbage, carrots, snap peas, edamame, green onion, cilantro, mandarin oranges, topped with a sesame ramen crunchy topping, and then drizzled with a delicious sesame dressing.
Let me go ahead and emphasize that this Chinese Chicken Salad Dressing recipe is to die for! It is the most amazing addition to this salad and the combination of flavors is something that you will probably be making regularly.
This is a fantastic recipe for meal prep and lunches on the go. You can layer all the ingredients into a Tupperware or mason jar and place the dressing in a plastic bag or small plastic cup. When you're ready to enjoy, simply pour the dressing into the jar or bowl, seal it, shake it up, and dig in!
What you'll need
for the chicken:
- chicken breasts
- soy sauce
- hoisin sauce
- sesame oil
- freshly ground black pepper
for the salad:
- ramen noodles, broken into pieces
- slivered almonds
- sesame seeds
- napa cabbage
- grated carrot
- snap peas or snow peas
- shelled edamame
- green onion
- fresh cilantro
- mandarin oranges
for the dressing:
- olive oil
- honey
- rice wine vinegar
- hoisin sauce
- soy sauce
- sesame oil
- freshly grated ginger
- minced garlic
- black pepper
- kosher salt
How to Make Chinese Chicken Salad
- Marinate the chicken. I like to throw the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, and pepper, in a sealable bag or container with the chicken and squish it around so that it is covering the chicken. I let this marinate for about 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Bake the chicken. Then I bake the chicken in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees F. Once it is done, I place it on a cutting board and slice it into strips.
- Make the topping. Place the broken up ramen noodles, sesame seeds, and almonds on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes until they are toasted.
- Get your veggies ready. I like to use a very large bowl for this part. I put all my veggies in the bowl and then give them a nice toss to evenly distribute them.
- Add your toppings. Then I top the salad with the chicken, toasted ramen, cilantro, mandarin oranges. You can arrange these however you'd like. Don't worry about getting fancy. Just throw them on there!
- Make and add dressing. The easiest way to make the dressing is to throw all the ingredients into a mason jar with a sealed lid and shake it all up. Then drizzle the dressing over the salad right before serving.
How to make Chinese Chicken Salad ahead of time:
The worst part about making a salad of time is the risk of it getting soggy. But this recipe is actually very simple to make in advance without ruining. Simply prepare your veggies and your topping, but hold onto the dressing until you are ready to serve. Once you are ready to dig in, add the crunchy toppings, drizzle your dressing, and toss!
Can I use rice vinegar instead of rice wine vinegar?
You can definitely use rice vinegar here. It will work just fine!
More Delicious Summertime Salads
- Watermelon Basil and Feta Salad
- Caprese Salad
- BBQ Chicken Cobb Salad
- BLT Pasta Salad
- Tex Mex Doritos Taco Salad
- Thai Cucumber Salad
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Chinese Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salad
- 4 ounces ramen noodles broken into pieces (discard the seasoning packet)
- ¼ cup chopped or slivered almonds
- 2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
- 6 cups shredded napa cabbage roughly 1 medium head of napa cabbage
- 1 cup grated carrot roughly 1 large carrot
- 1 cup sugar snap peas or snow peas
- ½ cup shelled edamame
- 3 green onion thinly sliced
- ½ bunch fresh cilantro chopped
- 15 ounces mandarin oranges, drained
Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 ½ Tablespoons honey
- â…“ cup rice wine vinegar
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a bowl with a tight fitting lid or sturdy resealable bag. Add soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, and pepper, then seal and squish to coat the chicken. Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to marinate.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the chicken in a baking dish, then bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the chicken reaches 165 degrees F when tested with an instant read digital meat thermometer (affiliate link).
- Remove the chicken to a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes before cutting into strips.
- Break up the hard ramen noodles and scatter onto a baking sheet. Add the almonds and sesame seeds.
- Bake noodles for 8 minutes until toasted, then set aside to cool.
- Assemble the salad in a large bowl by combining the cabbage, grated carrot, sugar snap peas, edamame, and green onions. Toss to evenly distribute.
- Add the sliced chicken, toasted ramen and almonds, cilantro, and mandarin oranges on top.
- Combine dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight lid and shake well to combine. Drizzle over the salad just before serving.
I have to try this Chinese chicken salad recipe very soon!!! Thanks
This sounds delicious1. Can frozen edamame be used?
Yes, absolutely!
Great recipe!
But it took me a lot longer than fifteen minutes to chop all those veggies