Asian Sesame Chicken Salad

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Last Updated on August 16, 2023 by Lisa Johnson

Create a healthy and satisfying Asian Sesame Chicken Salad in minutes using simple ingredients!

This easy recipe combines tender chicken, crisp fresh vegetables, fresh herbs, and a mouthwatering sesame ginger dressing for a burst of flavors and textures.

You are going to love this Asian Orange-Ginger Dressing! It is tangy from the orange juice, and a bit sweet from the coconut aminos. And of course the ginger and garlic add a bit of zing to the mix.

What you’ll need

Salad ingredients:

• Napa cabbage – If you can’t find Napa cabbage, you can use regular green cabbage or even savoy cabbage for a similar texture.
• Green cabbage – Swap it out with more Napa cabbage or use a mix of different greens like kale, spinach, or arugula for added variety.
• Red cabbage – If red cabbage isn’t available, you can omit it or replace it with more of the other cabbage varieties.
• Shredded carrots – Carrots can be substituted with julienned bell peppers, cucumber, or zucchini.
• Chopped fresh cilantro – If you’re not a fan of cilantro, you can use parsley, mint, or basil.
• Green onions – replace with finely chopped red onion or chives if needed.
• Chopped chicken – Quick recipe below or you can make Instant Pot whole chicken, or simple roast chicken ahead of time.
• Sliced almonds – Swap with chopped cashews, peanuts, or sunflower seeds.
• Toasted sesame seeds – If you don’t have sesame seeds, you can omit them or use other seeds like sunflower or pumpkin seeds.

Dressing ingredients

• Light olive, avocado oil, or canola oil
• Orange juice – Fresh squeezed or in a carton
• Rice wine vinegar – White wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar can be used as substitutes.
• Fresh garlic – You can use garlic powder if fresh garlic isn’t available.
• Grated fresh ginger – Ground ginger can be used in a pinch, but adjust the quantity to taste.
• Coconut aminos – Soy sauce or tamari can be used in place of coconut aminos (not whole30 or paleo).
• Fish sauce – Worcestershire sauce can be used as a substitute (not whole30 or paleo)
• Toasted sesame oil – Regular sesame oil can be used, but the flavor will be different.
• Maple syrup or sweet honey (optional) if you prefer a sweeter Asian salad dressing

Be sure to check out the detailed printable recipe card below

How to make Asian Sesame Salad

We are using 3 different types of cabbage to make this salad: Red or purple cabbage, Napa cabbage, and green cabbage.

You can slice, then chop your cabbage, or you can shred it thinly like the restaurants do. I do not have the patience for that, chopped salad with chicken works just fine for me.

Once your cabbage is chopped, place it in your salad spinner basket and rinse it really well with warm water. Then spin, spin, spin to remove the excess water.

Set the spinner aside to drain.

Asian Orange Ginger Sesame Dressing

Combine oil, orange juice, vinegar, garlic, ginger, coconut aminos, fish sauce, and sesame oil in a 1 pint glass mason jar.

Secure the lid to the jar and shake to thoroughly combine ingredients. Set aside.

In a very large bowl, combine all three types of cabbage, shredded carrots, cilantro, and green onions.

Add the chicken, mandarin oranges, toasted sesame seeds, and toasted almonds to the bowl. Toss to combine.

Drizzle salad with Asian sesame dressing and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

I could not find any mandarin oranges in fruit juice, they only had them packed in a sugary syrup.

Notes Tips

• I cheated and used packaged, shredded carrots…that’s why they look like long sticks and not little shreds.
• To cook my chicken: Pound the chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap until they were an even thickness. Sprinkle both sides with Chinese Five-Spice and cook in a skillet with olive oil until cooked through (165° F.).

FAQs

This Asian Sesame Chicken Salad is my go-to meal when I do not feel like cooking, I love it that much!

I used these products in this recipe: Fish Sauce – Salad Spinner – Coconut Aminos 

Scroll down past the recipe to see all of my friend’s cabbage recipes!

Enjoy!!

• Roasted Cabbage with Bacon from Bread Booze Bacon
• Beef & Cabbage Stew from White Lights on Wednesday
• Pastrami & Relish Dog from Kleinworth & Co.
• Asian Sesame Chicken Salad from Cooking with Curls
• Irish Deviled Eggs from Home.Made.Interest.
• Irish Fried Cabbage from Sugar & Soul
• Thai Peanut Chicken Crunch Slaw Salad from Celebrating Sweets
• Mexican Slaw from The Two Bite Club
• Easy Chow Mein from Liz on Call
• Ginger Cashew Chicken Salad from It Bakes Me Happy