Chinese Chicken Salad
Chinese Chicken Salad is savory, sweet, and SO fresh! Romaine lettuce is piled high with bites of chicken breast, mandarin oranges, cabbage, cilantro and more. The homemade Chinese plum dressing really ties it all together!
Chinese Chicken Salad
Chinese Chicken Salad is one of my favorite salad recipes ever! Romaine lettuce has never been dressed up quite like this. It’s a super filling salad from the amount of protein-packed chicken and there are so many nutrients at play from the various vegetables. Besides all of the pretty obvious health benefits, though, my favorite thing about this salad is the flavor!
Or should I say flavors. Fresh cilantro, cabbage and lettuce create the best fresh flavor that’s complimented nicely by the sweet mandarin oranges. The chicken breast is of course a good savory element to the otherwise pretty sweet salad. Speaking of sweet, the Chinese plum dressing that it all gets tossed in is SO good! It’s made with bold ingredients like plum sauce, soy sauce, honey and more.
Another wonderful thing about this recipe is just how easy it is to make. Like any good salad recipe, it’s all about prepping the ingredients and tossing them all in a bowl! The only step that requires a little attention is cooking the crispy rice noodles, which really only takes a few minutes and two ingredients. Other than that, it’s all about chopping and tossing!
How to Make Chinese Chicken Salad
You’ll need less than thirty minutes to toss together this easy salad recipe! You just need to toss it all together, fry the noodles, and whisk together the ingredients for the dressing. Three quick and easy steps!
- Assemble the key ingredients. Toss together the lettuce and cabbages. Top off those veggies with chicken, mandarin oranges, wonton strips, almonds, cilantro and sesame seeds. Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge while you make the rice noodles.
- Make the rice noodles. Cut the rice noodles into 4-5 inch strips. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until it’s nice and hot. Then, fry the noodles by the handful. Flip them just once, then let them dry on a plate lined with a paper towel before placing on top of the salad.
- Make the dressing. Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing until smooth.
Tips for the Best Chinese Chicken Salad
Check out these quick tips before you get started to make sure you have the very best results.
- Great for using leftovers. If you happen to have any left over chicken breast from a previous meal, this is a great recipe to use it with!
- Test the oil. Before you toss in a handful of rice noodles into the hot oil, make sure it’s hot enough to fry them! Take a small piece of noodle and drop it into the oil to test the heat. It should puff up within seconds. If it doesn’t, remove and wait a little longer for the oil to heat up.
- Two ways to serve. This versatile salad can be served in two different ways, so choose what’s best for you! You can top the salad with the crispy rice noodles and serve the dressing on the side. Alternatively, you can toss the salad with the dressing first and then top with the crispy rice noodles.
- Serve right away. This is a salad that’s best served fresh on the very same day it was made. Don’t wait too long to serve it once everything has been tossed together.
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Get the Recipe: Chinese Chicken Salad Recipe
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 2 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
- 4 cups shredded napa cabbage
- 2 cups shredded purple cabbage
- 3 cups cooked chopped chicken breast
- 1 15- ounce can mandarin oranges, juice reserved
- 1 cup crispy wonton strips
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
For the crispy rice noodles:
- 8.8 ounce package thin dried rice noodles
- 1 cup canola oil, for frying
For the Chinese Plum Dressing:
- 3 tablespoons Chinese plum sauce
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon garlic chili sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon reserved mandarin orange juice, optional
Equipment
- 1 saucepan
- 1 wire spider
Instructions
- Arrange the lettuce, Napa cabbage and purple cabbage on a platter, tossing a bit to combine.
- Top the lettuce bed with the chicken, oranges, wonton strips, almond, cilantro and sesame seeds.
- Cover and chill while you make the rice noodles.
- Cut the rice noodles into 4-5 niche strips so they fit in the pot. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot, approximately 2-3 minutes.
- Take a small piece of noodle and drop it into the oil to test the heat. It should puff up within seconds. If it doesn’t, remove and wait a little longer for the oil to heat up.
- Remove the noodle and continue to fry noodles by dropping handfuls into the hot oil.
- Using a slotted spoon or wire spider, quickly flip them once and then remove from the oil to a platter lined with a paper towel.
- Repeat with the remaining noodles. Set aside.
- Make the dressing by whisking together the plum sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, honey, garlic chili sauce, sesame oil and, if using, the mandarin orange juice. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Top the salad with the crispy rice noodles and serve the dressing on the side.
- Alternatively, you can toss the salad with the dressing first and then top with the crispy rice noodles.
- Best if served the same day you make it.