Chinese Chicken Salad

Crunchy and satisfying, my Chinese chicken salad is a beloved classic that's easy to whip up at home with fresh, vibrant ingredients. Prepared with a mouthwatering sesame-ginger dressing, crisp romaine, red cabbage, shredded chicken, mandarin oranges, and wonton strips, this scrumptious salad recipe is the perfect cool and refreshing meal on a warm day!

A scrumptiously crunchy salad with Asian flair

A hearty and flavorful salad with lots of bells and whistles is something that I can rarely resist. And if someone were to ask me what my favorite hearty “entree style” salad is, a Chinese chicken salad would definitely be at the very tippy-top of my list.

When I was in my twenties, I would often grab a Chinese chicken salad from the prepared foods/salad section of a fancy little market that was on my way home from work. I fell in love with the flavors and crisp-crunchy tidbits in this salad, as each bite was a surprise!

It came complete with a really delicious dressing with the flavors of sesame, soy, and ginger, lots of fresh greens, wonton strips, shredded chicken, and sweet little mandarin orange segments.

Me being me, I found my way of preparing this easy-yet-filling salad from scratch, and it's been a beloved meal ever since whenever the craving for these flavors hits.

My Chinese chicken salad is a healthy and mouthwatering option that beats a store-bought or restaurant version hands down, loaded with the flavors we love in classic Chinese chicken salad, made lickety-split in your own kitchen with the freshest ingredients. It's absolutely irresistible, and makes for a really lovely meal on a warm summer day!

My recipe for Chinese chicken salad

I like using classic ingredients when it comes to this salad, to keep things simple, delicious, and loaded with texture and lots of Asian-inspired flavor.

For the greens, I like to go with a couple of small to medium heads of romaine lettuce here (or about 3 small romaine hearts), instead of pre-bagged greens. That way, I can control how small or large I want to chop the greens, as I do a bit of a cross between “chopped” and “shredded” for my salad, for easy eating.

The color and texture of fresh, raw, red cabbage is also something I appreciate in my salad recipe. I use a couple of good handfuls of thinly sliced/shredded cabbage from a small head, as well as some shredded carrot for more color and sweetness.

To keep things quick and easy, I use a good quality rotisserie chicken (or even leftover, homemade roasted chicken), and simply shred the meat, which saves lots of time.

Fresh herbs take the flavor of a Chinese chicken salad over the top, so I'm generous with chopped cilantro and green onion. Wonton strips and mandarin orange segments are also added to the mix, as they pair really nicely with the super-duper delicious homemade sesame-ginger dressing that's whirled up in the food processor in minutes.

Here's a sneak peek at my Chinese chicken salad recipe:

(or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, I prepare my sesame-ginger dressing in my food processor to have ready and on hand.
2. Then, I add the chopped romaine, red cabbage, carrot, chicken, herbs and half of my wonton strips to a large bowl, drizzle in about half of the dressing, and toss together. I add more dressing as needed.
3. If serving as 4 entree-style salads, I serve the Chinese chicken salad in large, shallow bowls and top with remaining wonton strips and the mandarin orange segments. Or, if serving as a side salad to accompany other foods, I spoon the salad onto a large serving platter or into a large serving bowl, top with remaining wonton strips and the mandarin orange segments, and serve.

Recipe

Chinese Chicken Salad

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

This Chinese chicken salad tossed with a flavorful sesame-ginger dressing is brimming with fresh, colorful ingredients with lots of crunch!

Category: Salad
Cuisine: Asian-American

Yield: Serves 4 entree-size salads (or 8 side salad portions)

Nutrition info: 687 calories (for one entree-size portion)

Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes

Chinese Chicken Salad Ingredients:

• 2 small to medium heads of romaine lettuce (or 3 small romaine hearts), thinly shredded or chopped
• 2 (heaping) cups thinly shredded red cabbage
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro, plus extra for garnish
• 4 green onions, sliced, plus extra for garnish
• 2 cups crispy wonton strips, divided use
• 2 (heaping) cups cooked, shredded chicken breasts (rotisserie chicken is perfect)
• 10-ounce can mandarin orange segments, drained of juice and blotted
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Sesame-Ginger Dressing Ingredients:

• 2 (heaping) teaspoons freshly-grated ginger
• 6 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ¼ cup toasted sesame oil
• ¾ cup avocado oil

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of your sesame-ginger dressing ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
2. To prepare the dressing, add all of the ingredients except for the toasted sesame oil and avocado oil to the bowl of a food processor, and process for a moment to blend. Then, with the processor running, slowly drizzle in the sesame oil as well as the avocado oil until well blended and emulsified. Pour the dressing into a jar or container, and set aside.
3. Next, gather and prep all of your Chinese chicken salad ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
4. To prepare the salad, add the shredded or chopped romaine lettuce, red cabbage, carrot, cilantro, green onions, 1 cup of the wonton strips, and the shredded chicken to a very large bowl, and gently toss just a bit to combine the ingredients.
5. Drizzle in about half of the sesame-ginger dressing to begin with, toss the salad together with that to combine, then taste and see if additional dressing is needed.
6. If serving a larger group, then spoon the Chinese chicken salad into a large serving bowl, top with the remaining wonton strips and arrange the mandarin orange segments over top. Sprinkle over the toasted sesame seeds, as well as garnish with more cilantro and green onion, and serve.
7. To serve 4 entree-size portions, mound equal portions of the Chinese chicken salad into large, shallow bowls or onto plates, and top each with equal amounts of the remaining wonton strips. Arrange the mandarin orange segments over top of each salad equally, as well.
8. Garnish each salad with a small sprinkle of chopped cilantro and sliced green onions, plus a sprinkle of the toasted sesame seeds, and serve the Chinese chicken salad with any remaining sesame-ginger dressing on the side for added drizzling.

Tips & Tidbits for my Chinese chicken salad recipe:

• The perfect salad as an entree, or even as a smaller side: What I love about a hearty salad like this is that you can prepare it and serve it as an individual, entree-size salad, fit for 4 people. Or, you can prepare it and serve it to a group of 8 or so, out of a large bowl, making it a perfect pick for a potluck, BBQ, or picnic.
• Rotisserie chicken for convenience: I love to use rotisserie chicken for this salad, and use mainly the breast meat, with a little dark meat, if necessary to fulfill the quantity needed. I just simply shred the chicken with my fingers, and it makes preparation super quick and easy—it's really tasty as well.
• Garnish with the mandarin orange segments instead of tossing them: Because canned mandarin orange segments can be quite delicate, I don't toss them with the rest of the salad ingredients as they would break up. So I like to gently lay them over top of the prepared salad, whether I'm making individual salad portions, or using a large serving bowl.
• Prepare this salad ahead for easy serving: This Chinese chicken salad can be prepared up to two days ahead of serving, to keep things super easy. Just add the salad ingredients (except for the wonton strips and mandarin orange segments) to a large bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Prepare the dressing, and keep that separate and in the fridge until ready to use Just remove the dressing from the fridge about 30 minutes before serving to warm it up. When ready, proceed with the rest of the preparation and garnishing, just before serving.

Craving more cool, refreshing salads like this one? Check out my recipe for Ahi Tuna Salad, Kung Pao Chicken Salad, Asian Noodle Salad with Peanut Dressing, Thai Chicken Salad Wonton Cups, Thai Chicken Satay Salad, or even my recipe for cool Udon Noodles with Garlic and Sesame!