This Asian chicken salad is a medley of crunchy veggies, tender chicken, and a zippy homemade dressing. It’s packed with flavor and ready in 15 minutes!
As many of you guys know, Asian food is one of my top-favorite cuisines. I love all the vibrant flavors and colors in it, as well as how many different kinds of veggies are included. This Asian chicken salad checks every box! To meet our family’s protein goals and make the salad more filling, I added shredded chicken. There are tons of possibilities for customization, so you can easily step it up or swap out an ingredient. I’m also a huge fan of how all the prep can be done in advance — my fellow busy moms get it!
Asian Chicken Salad Video
How To Make Asian Chicken Salad
I love how quick and easy it is to throw this salad together. Whether I’m rushing to run errands or catch up on housework, I can always depend on this meal to satisfy my hunger in a pinch!
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, lime juice, soy sauce, minced garlic, brown sugar, and ginger.
- Assemble the salad: In a large bowl, toss together all the salad ingredients and the dressing. Garnish the salad with peanuts and sesame seeds before serving.
Hot tip: Use a storebought rotisserie chicken to save on prep time.
Ingredient Variations
Life is not perfect, and sometimes, I don’t want to follow the recipe perfectly. Here are a few of my favorite ways to customize this salad by using up extra ingredients or making easy swaps.
- Greens: The spinach is totally optional, but I like adding it in for a fresher flavor and more nutrition. I’ve also used arugula, romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, and baby kale with great results!
- Protein: This Instant Pot hack is my go-to for turning raw chicken breasts into perfect shredded chicken in 20 minutes. Or, use my all-time favorite 5-minute grilled chicken thighs! If you want to switch up the protein entirely, go with 15-minute air fryer shrimp.
- Fruits/veggies: Boost the color and nutrients with mandarin oranges, snow peas, edamame, sliced cucumber, jalapeños, or sliced bell peppers.
- Nuts/seeds: Get nutty with cashews or slivered almonds, or add a sprinkle of black or white sesame seeds.
- Crunchy noodles: Add a fun crunch with crispy wonton strips, roasted ramen noodles, or fried chow mein noodles. These ingredients can usually be found in the Asian section or salad aisle of the supermarket.
Tips From the Kitchen
Beyond slicing up the veggies and whipping up the dressing, there’s not much room to go wrong with this recipe. It’s easy-peasy, especially if you follow these three tips!
- Use a mandoline. A mandoline slicer like this one makes prepping veggies so much quicker and easier. It’s very sharp, so watch your fingers!
- Make it your own. One of the reasons why salads are so amazing is that you can take a bunch of random ingredients and create a delicious, personalized meal. Don’t be afraid to venture out beyond the confines of the recipe!
- Add the dressing immediately before serving. To preserve the crunchiness of the ingredients, avoid tossing the salad with the dressing until you’re ready to dig in.
Storage
I recommend enjoying this salad immediately for the best texture, but leftovers can be stored for 2-3 days in the fridge in an airtight container. If possible, store the salad, dressing, and crunchy toppings separately, then toss them all together right before eating.
More Tasty Salads
- Waldorf Salad — A sweet, crunchy, and tangy mix… NYC’s most popular salad!
- Ramen Noodle Salad — Cabbage slaw gets an upgrade with roasted ramen noodles and seeds
- Fritos Chili Cheese Salad — Loaded with crunchy chips and corn
- Creamy Cucumber Radish Salad — Unbelievably refreshing and the perfect way to use up garden veggies
Recipe
Ingredients
Dressing
- 3 tbsp light sesame oil
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp light brown sugar
- 2 tsp fresh ginger grated
Salad
- 2 cups red cabbage thinly sliced
- 2 cups baby spinach thinly sliced
- 1 cup shredded cooked chicken rotisserie or leftover
- 1 medium carrot shredded
- 3 scallions thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup cilantro chopped
- 1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts chopped
- 2 tsp sesame seeds adjust to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, lime juice, soy sauce, minced garlic, brown sugar, and ginger.
- In a large bowl, add the cabbage, spinach, chicken, carrots, scallions, and cilantro to the bowl. Drizzle the dressing on top and toss everything together to combine.
- Garnish the salad with the peanuts and sesame seeds before serving. Enjoy!
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