Chinese Chicken Salad

A simple restaurant-style Chinese chicken salad that is full of flavor, super easy to make, and so much healthier!

I had some leftover napa cabbage and red cabbage that needed to be used up so I went in search of some recipes. After looking around online, I found a simple recipe for a Chinese chicken salad on Recipe Tin Eats that sounded tasty. Thankfully, I had some leftover roasted chicken from the previous night’s dinner to use up but you can also use store-bought rotisserie chicken if you’d prefer. It was an easy recipe to throw together and I was so happy I didn’t have to heat up my kitchen since we are dealing with a heatwave. I surprised my son with this salad for lunch recently and he told me that it was his favorite salad and vinaigrette that I have ever made. These complimentary words coming from my 16-year-old son (who may or may not be a bit moody these days) made my heart swell! Guess who will be having these ingredients on hand for school lunches this year? This Chinese chicken salad recipe pairs nicely with Chinese noodle soup, spicy edamame, or vegetable potstickers.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Asian Vinaigrette:

• 3 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1½ tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 large clove of garlic, minced
• Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Salad:

• 4 cups napa cabbage, finely shredded
• 1½ cups roasted chicken, shredded
• 1 cup red cabbage, finely shredded
• ¾ cup carrots, finely julienned
• ½ cup green onions, sliced on the diagonal
• ½ cup crunchy noodles, or more if desired
• Toasted sesame seeds, to taste

How to Make an Asian Vinaigrette:

Prepare the Asian vinaigrette by combining the seasoned rice vinegar, soy sauce, canola oil, sesame oil, fresh ginger, minced garlic, and freshly cracked black pepper to taste, together in a small glass jar.

Seal with an airtight lid and shake to combine thoroughly. Set aside to allow the flavors to mingle.

How to Make a Chinese Chicken Salad:

Prepare the salad by placing the napa cabbage, shredded chicken, red cabbage, carrots, crispy noodles, and carrots together in a serving bowl.

Shake the vinaigrette well, then drizzle some on top of the salad to taste.

Toss to coat evenly, then serve immediately with toasted sesame seeds sprinkled on top. Enjoy.