This Chinese Chicken Salad features shredded chicken breast, crisp colorful vegetables, crunchy wonton strips, and a savory Asian sesame dressing. It’s a refreshing, texture-rich summer salad that’s nutritious, flavorful, and easy to make ahead.
Meet your new go-to salad. This Chinese Chicken Salad captures familiar Asian flavors—think sesame, soy, garlic, and ginger—while keeping everything fresh and bright. Shredded chicken, napa (Chinese) cabbage, purple cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, cilantro, and green onion come together with a salty-savory sesame soy dressing. Crispy wonton strips or fried noodles plus toasted sesame seeds add an irresistible crunch.
The recipe yields a large bowl, ideal for meal prep or feeding a group. Most of the effort is chopping, which takes about 15 minutes with a sharp knife. The chopped vegetables and dressing store well for several days, so I often prep everything early in the week and assemble servings in under 10 minutes for lunches.
Ingredients
For Asian Sesame Dressing
- Sesame Oil – Use toasted sesame oil for its nutty aroma and flavor.
- Vegetable Oil – Helps balance the sesame oil.
- Soy Sauce – Low-sodium soy sauce is recommended.
- Rice Vinegar – Adds brightness and acidity.
- Minced Garlic & Ginger – Fresh garlic is important; grate ginger finely.
- Sugar – Balances the saltiness; brown sugar or honey can be used if preferred.
- Red pepper flakes – For a touch of heat; substitute sriracha or black pepper if desired.
Salad
- Chinese (Napa) Cabbage – The crunchy base; you can substitute regular cabbage finely shredded.
- Other veggies – Carrots, purple cabbage, and red bell pepper add color and texture.
- Chicken – Use shredded rotisserie chicken, leftover cooked chicken, or poached chicken breasts.
- Fried wonton strips or crispy fried noodles – For crunch.
- Fresh cilantro and green onion – Bright, herbal notes.
Other Variations
This salad is very flexible. Swap or add vegetables based on what you have on hand.
- Use packaged coleslaw mix to cut down chopping time.
- Add bean sprouts, edamame, mandarin segments, or tender broccoli florets for variety.
- For a protein swap, try crispy fried tofu or cooked shrimp instead of chicken.
Asian Sesame Salad Dressing
The Asian sesame dressing ties the salad together: salty, savory, with a toasty sesame finish. Combine low-sodium soy sauce, grated ginger, minced garlic, vegetable oil, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Shake in a jar or whisk until smooth. A milk frother works well to emulsify the dressing quickly.
Don’t skip the sugar—it balances the salty elements. If you prefer, use honey or brown sugar. Ground ginger can replace fresh if needed, but keep fresh garlic for best flavor. For heat, black pepper or sriracha are good alternatives to red pepper flakes.
Poaching Chicken Breast For the Salad
Poaching boneless chicken breasts is quick and yields tender meat that soaks up dressing flavors. Poach breasts in well-seasoned chicken stock for about 8 minutes until cooked through, then rest covered for 10 minutes before shredding with forks. Rotisserie chicken or cooked leftovers also work well.
Wonton strips for Crunch
Crispy fried wonton strips add an addictive crunch. Buy them ready-made at Asian markets or cut wonton sheets into strips and deep-fry until golden. Deep-fried chow mein noodles are an excellent substitute. For a lighter option, use roasted salted peanuts.*
How to make
The main work is chopping and prepping the ingredients.
- Prepare the dressing: Combine the dressing ingredients—soy sauce, garlic, ginger, oils, rice vinegar, sugar, and red pepper flakes—in a jar. Shake or whisk until blended.
- Assemble the salad: Chop or shred the vegetables (julienne for a neat presentation if you like). Place the veggies and shredded chicken in a large bowl. If serving right away, add wonton strips, pour dressing, and toss to coat. If serving later, store the components separately and combine just before serving.
Store
Leftovers
Once vegetables are tossed with dressing they soften and release moisture, especially cabbage. This causes a watery layer and loss of crunch, so leftovers aren’t ideal. Make what you will eat immediately when possible.
To prep ahead
Store chopped vegetables separately in the refrigerator for 3–4 days; lining the container with a paper towel helps absorb excess moisture. Shredded chicken keeps for up to 3 days refrigerated or can be frozen.
Serve With
This salad is substantial enough to serve as a main for lunch or dinner. If you want a protein-forward pairing as a side, complement it with grilled or roasted meats such as BBQ chicken, Korean-style chicken thighs, or pork tenderloin.
More Summer Salad Recipes
- Roasted Potato Salad
- Curried Chicken Salad with Cashew
- Lemon Dill Potato Salad (No Mayo)
- Apple Kale Salad
- Easy and Zesty Quinoa Salad
- Shrimp Orzo Salad with Pesto
Chinese Chicken Salad
Ingredients
For Sesame Salad Dressing
- ¼ cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon Ginger grated
- 2 tablespoons Sugar
- 2 tablespoons Vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoon Rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoon Sesame Oil
- ½ teaspoon Red pepper flakes
For Chinese Chicken Salad
- 2 medium Chicken breast shredded (about 2 cups)
- 3-4 cups Chinese Cabbage chopped
- 1 cup Purple Cabbage chopped
- 1 large Carrot julienned
- 1 Red bell pepper sliced
- 1 cup Fried wonton strips or fried noodles
- ½ cup Green Onion
- ½ cup Fresh Coriander
- Toasted sesame seeds to garnish
Instructions
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In a glass jar add all the dressing ingredients and shake well until combined.
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In a large salad bowl, combine all the chopped vegetables and shredded chicken, leaving the fried noodles aside if serving later.
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If serving immediately, add fried noodles, pour the dressing over the salad, and toss to coat evenly.
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If serving later, store vegetables, dressing, and fried noodles separately and combine just before serving to maintain crunch.
Notes
- Use low-sodium soy sauce for better seasoning control.
- Poach chicken in seasoned stock for about 8 minutes until cooked through, then rest covered before shredding.
- The volume of raw vegetables seems large but will reduce after dressing is added as they release water.