Asian Chicken Salad

Who doesn’t love a salad you can really feel with your teeth?! Okay, weird phrase but this one is a real fun chomper.

Super satisfyingly crunchy cabbage/slaw/lettuce/shredded Brussels (if you fancy), bright crisp carrots and almonds, and the impeccable savory crunch of chow mein noodles. All the best chomping!

And then there’s the juicy marinated chicken infused with ginger, garlic, garam masala, and soy sauce. Drizzle your favorite Asain-inspired dressing of choice and you’re in business. (We love Panera’s, don’t be mad!). SO. MUCH. FLAVOR.

And while not a traditional salad of any actual Asian origin but rather most likely born somewhere in the 50s/60s in California (according to Wiki), it does use lots of flavors and ingredients inspired by pan-Asian cuisine. Basically, this is one of those menu favorites you see again and again that we just cannot get enough of. Let’s make iiiiiiiiit!

In This Post: Everything You Need For Asian Chicken Salad

• Ingredients for Asian Chicken Salad
• Let’s Make This Delicious Salad
• Asian Chicken Salad, Your Way
• Asian Chicken Salad: Frequently Asked Questions

Ingredients For This Asian Chicken Salad Recipe

Is everyone on board with giant salads? You know, where you just pile on ALL. THE. THINGS?! This chicken salad is definitely one of those and we are here for it.

For the chomp mix:

• shredded lettuce or slaw or Brussels
• chopped almonds
• shredded carrots
• chopped cilantro
• edamame
• green onions
• toasted sesame seeds (optional)
• chow mein noodles (the dry crunchy kind!)

For the marinated chicken:

• chicken breasts
• soy sauce
• minced garlic & ginger
• sugar
• 5 spice seasoning (could also sub part Garam Masala and part Cajun seasoning)

For dressing, use your bottled version of choice! We love Panera’s Asian Sesame, but any will do! If you want to really take the champion route, we’ve included a quick make-your-own version in the recipe notes.

Let’s Make Asian Chicken Salad

Truly so simple to put together and that is another reason we love it so! You’ll have lunch on your desk/table in no time. 

1. The chomps. Toss all salad ingredients – green onions, lettuce, almonds, carrots, cilantro, edamame, and sesame seeds.
2. The marinade. Whisk together the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sugar, and seasoning. Marinate the chicken in the sauce for at least 1 hour and then bake! Once cooled, shred it and add to the giant salad pile.

The toss. Grab your dressing of choice and toss away! Save those chow mein noodles for just before serving to maintain maximum crunch.

Asian Chicken Salad, Your Way

Because this salad is such a buffet of flavors and ingredients, you can totally customize to fit your tastes and/or grocery lists. Switch up the dressings or make your own, you could also swap out the protein if you’re not up for chicken or just leave it out altogether – it’s still a dream. 

We love to play around with the base chomp whether that’s cabbage or slaw or please, for your sake, try shredded brussels sprouts. Use up any extra veg you might have laying around, especially if they add to the crunch factor. Extra nuts? Sure! More crispy chow mein noodles? Absolutely. 

Make it your way and make it every day because this little lunch/dinner/bedtime salad option is just the best. 

Asian Chicken Salad: Frequently Asked Questions

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Asian Chicken Salad

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5 from 9 reviews

• 
  Author: Pinch of Yum
• 
  Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
• 
  Yield: 8–10 servings 1x

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Description

This Asian Chicken Salad is crunchy, fresh, and packed with BIG flavors! Shredded slaw, carrots, edamame, crunchy chow mein noodles, and soy-marinated chicken on top. YUM!

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Ingredients

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• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 2–3 cups shredded lettuce or slaw (I used raw grated Brussels sprouts)
• 1/2 cup whole almonds, chopped
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 cups cooked, shelled edamame
• toasted sesame seeds (optional)
• 2 chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons Chinese 5 spice seasoning
• 2 cups chow mein noodles (dry crunchy kind)

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Instructions

1. Toss all salad ingredients – green onions, lettuce, almonds, carrots, cilantro, edamame, and sesame seeds.
2. Whisk together the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sugar, and seasoning. Marinate the chicken in the sauce for at least 1 hour. Bake chicken in the sauce at 400 degrees, for about 20-30 minutes, turning occasionally, until cooked through. When chicken is cooled, shred and add to the salad.
3. Toss with dressing of your choice and chow mein noodles just before serving.

Notes

Dressing: I used Panera’s Asian Sesame bottled dressing – yum! I also made my own quick and easy version of an Asian dressing by whirring all these together in the food processor: 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup oil, 3 tablespoons white vinegar, 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter, 1 tablespoon hoisin, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and about 1/3 cup water.

Nutrition info: Nutrition info includes the homemade peanut dressing. 

• Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Toss
• Cuisine: Asian-Inspired

Keywords: asian chicken salad, asian salad, chicken salad, salad recipe

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More Crunchy, Fresh Salads We Love

• Cashew Crunch Salad with Sesame Dressing (loaded with so much yum)
• Quinoa Crunch Salad with Peanut Dressing (this dressing though…WOW!!)
• Chopped Thai-Inspired Chicken Salad (healthy, fresh, and made with lots of big flavors)