Asian Chicken Salad Recipe - I Heart Naptime (2024)

This Asian chicken salad is everything you want in a salad recipe…fresh, light, crunchy and delicious. It’s super flavorful and is loaded with all your favorite toppings!

Looking for more salad recipes? You’ll love my Antipasto Salad, Greek Salad with Chicken and BBQ Chicken Salad.

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A Light and Fresh Salad

This Asian chicken salad is fresh, light, crisp, filling, crunchy, pretty and delicious. It is one of my favorite salads to make for potlucks, girls lunches or a healthy dinner idea at home. It’s also my go-to whenever I see it on the menu at a restaurant.

It’s loaded with all types of delicious toppings like shredded chicken, green onions, almonds, cilantro, wonton strips and an easy Asian dressing. The fresh flavors and different textures all pair perfectly together. Take one bite and you will be in heaven!

Recipe Ingredients

The salad comes together quickly and only needs a few fresh veggies, several toppings, a tangy dressing, and a bit of chicken to really shine.

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

• Cooked chicken: Shredded rotisserie chicken works really well, but you can also use grilled chicken breasts or even slow cooker teriyaki chicken for added flavor.
• Romaine lettuce: This crisp green gives the salad just the right amount of crunch.
• Coleslaw mix: I prefer to buy this prepackaged to save on time, but you can chop green cabbage orred cabbage, radishes, and carrots individually, if you prefer.
• Sliced almonds: The nuttiness is the perfect counterbalance to the sweet acidity of the dressing.
• Green onions: These perk up the salad with just a little bit of tang.
• Wonton strips: This salad isn’t complete without the crunch of store-bought or homemade wonton strips.
• Cilantro: This herb adds a fresh and bright flavor to the salad.
• Dressing: Vegetable oil, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and a little sugar make the perfect dressing to highlight all the flavors in this salad.

Variations

• Rotisserie chicken, shredded chicken or grilled chicken all taste great.
• Use whichever greens you have on hand. Spinach or kale work great too.
• Add extra vegetables such as chopped cucumber or bell peppers.
• Add mandarin oranges for a sweet and delicious addition.
• Switch the almonds for peanuts or cashews.
• You can also use Chinese rice noodles instead of wonton strips.
• Use slow cooker teriyaki chicken for the base (or make instant pot teriyaki chicken).

Asian Chicken Salad Dressing

This dressing is super simple to make and is bursting with flavor. The sesame oil and rice wine vinegar give it that delicious Asian taste. And the sugar helps cut the acidity and provides just the right amount of sweetness.

Simply whisk together all of the ingredients in a small bowl and then taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Then drizzle over the salad and toss to combine.

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar (or white vinegar)
• 1-2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

How to Make Asian Chicken Salad

This salad is as easy as 1, 2, 3 steps.

• Combine. Add the romaine and coleslaw mix in a large bowl and stir. Top with chicken, almonds, green onions, wontons, and cilantro.
• Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk the vegetable oil, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
• Toss the salad. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Helpful Tips

• Homemade wonton strips. Make your own wonton strips instead of buying from the store. They are extra delicious and easy to make!
• Dressing in advance. You can make the dressing in advance and store in the fridge until ready to serve. It’s one less step to worry about.
• Main or side. This dish can be served as a side with this Thai lettuce wraps recipe or as a main dish. As a main dish, it will serve around 4. As a side, it will serve 6 to 8.

More Asian Inspired Dishes

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