Chinese Chicken Salad is a flavorful mix of sweet and savory with a range of textures.
Cucumbers, lettuce and cabbage give it a cool, crunchy bite that is in direct contrast to the tender pieces of savory chicken and the soft, juicy pop of oranges. Toasted sesame seeds and sliced almonds further the crunch factor. In a word it has everything you could wish for in a salad.
The dressing has a spicy sweetness with a kick of heat that brings the salad to life. It’s made with ginger, soy sauce, hot chili sauce, brown sugar and sesame oil. For a mild version leave out the chili sauce and if you don’t have sesame oil substitute a neutral-tasting oil like olive or canola.
My recipe is different from most because I like to briefly sauté my cabbage until it starts to wilt and gets a little char from the pan on it. It stays crunchy this way while losing the harshness found in raw cabbage.
Using store-bought rotisserie chicken makes this a cinch to throw together. You can swap out the chicken for cooked tofu, shrimp or fish. I already have plans to make it again tomorrow with pan-fried tofu. And I ate it today for lunch and dinner. That’s how fast it became a favorite.
So thoroughly delicious and completely satisfying – I love it’s versatility!
Chinese Chicken Salad is a flavorful mix of sweet and savory with a wide range of textures. It's a cinch to throw together using rotisserie chicken.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl, taste and adjust if desired by adding more soy sauce or sriracha.
- Heat a large frying pan over medium-low heat and briefly toast the sesame seeds. Remove and toast the almonds, tossing often until browned.
- Lightly coat pan with oil and turn heat up to medium; add cabbage. Cook 4-5 minutes, stirring often until slightly wilted but still crunchy. Remove to a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl toss the chicken with a little bit of dressing to coat lightly and the sesame seeds.
- Add chicken to cabbage in the bowl along with the lettuce, pepper, orange and cucumber. Drizzle with dressing and toss well adding more dressing as needed to lightly coat everything. Sprinkle almonds over top and serve immediately.
Notes
Dressing adapted from and salad inspired by Design Sponge
Hi Reeni, very colorful and wholesome salad!I like the veggie variety you’ve used!Have a great weekend!
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I’ve been sick and rotisserie chicken seems to be the only thing I can eat. What glorious timing. Happy Easter, Reeni to you and your family and Moon.
This looks fantastic to me right now. I just saved the recipe to try soon! Thank you!!
Wow, does this look delicious, Reeni! Beautifully styled…and full of yumminess! Thanks for sharing~
Liz recently posted..Asparagus and Bits of Bacon…French Fridays with Dorie~
Wow, Reeni, that is such a lovelY salad. Love your idea about briefly cooking the cabbage. Now that I’m able to spend more time in the kitchen, I look forward to making your recipe.
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