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My Asian Chicken Salad recipe has everything we love, from cabbage, mandarin oranges, and almonds, to tender marinated chicken, all tossed in an easy homemade dressing.
Asian Chicken Salad is all I want in a salad.
This Asian Chicken Salad might be my absolute favorite salad! The combination of crunchy cabbage, sweet mandarin oranges, and that savory marinated chicken is just perfect and the fact that the marinade pulls double duty as the dressing? Total game changer. I've brought this to potlucks, made it for lazy Sunday lunches, and thrown it together on busy weeknights, and it never disappoints. It's so easy to prep ahead and is perfect for meal prepping lunches!
Try my other salad recipes, like Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad, Orzo Salad, Chicken Pasta Salad, Italian Grinder Chopped Salad, and Cold Noodle Salad!
How to make Asian Chicken Salad:
Marinate Chicken: Whisk the dressing/marinade ingredients together except for the red wine vinegar and sliced green onions. Pour 3 tablespoons on top of the chicken to marinate and place in the refrigerator then stir the red wine vinegar and sliced green onions into the rest for the dressing.
Grill Chicken: On medium high heat, grill your chicken for about 3 minutes per side. Let it rest for a few minutes then slice the chicken.
Assemble: In your salad bowl, combine lettuce, cabbage, cucumber, carrots, almonds, bell peppers, mandarin oranges, and cilantro. Place chicken on top then toss the salad with the desired amount of dressing. Garnish with crunchy wonton strips or chow mein noodles and serve immediately.
Asian Chicken Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
Marinade and Dressing:
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped ginger
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce, , or more, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 green onions, , finely chopped
- 2 boneless, skinless breasts
For the Salad:
- 1 large head romaine or green leafy lettuce, , chopped
- 2 cups chopped red, green or napa cabbage
- 1/2 english cucumber, sliced
- 1 carrot, , shredded
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds or cashews
- 1 bell pepper, (any color), chopped
- 11 ounce can mandarin oranges, drained
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
For Topping:
- Handful Crunchy chow mein noodles or wonton strips, , optional
Instructions
- Make Marinade: Whisk together the soy sauce, chopped ginger, olive oil, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, sriracha, and salt.¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce, 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped ginger , ¼ cup olive oil, 2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce, 1 Tablespoon sesame oil, ½ teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce, ½ teaspoon salt
- Marinate Chicken: Add 3 tablespoon of the marinade to a bowl or large ziplock bag (the rest will be reserved for the dressing). Cut the chicken breasts in half, lengthwise (butterfly), to create 6 thin chicken breast halves. Add to the marinade and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 3-4 hours.2 boneless, skinless breasts
- Dressing: To the remaining marinade, add red wine vinegar and sliced green onions, to make a dressing for the salad. Refrigerate.¼ cup red wine vinegar, 2 green onions
- Salad: Add lettuce, cabbage, cucumber, carrots, almonds, bell peppers, mandarin oranges and cilantro to a large bowl.1 large head romaine or green leafy lettuce, 2 cups chopped red, green or napa cabbage, ½ english cucumber, 1 carrot, ½ cup sliced almonds or cashews, 1 bell pepper, 11 ounce can mandarin oranges, ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Grill chicken on medium high heat, cooking for about 3 minutes on each side, flipping once, until cooked through. Remove to a cutting board and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice the chicken against the grain and add to the salad.
- Serve: Pour desired amount of dressing on top and toss to combine. Garnish with crunchy wonton strips or chow mein noodles, if desired.Handful Crunchy chow mein noodles or wonton strips
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I originally shared this recipe January 2016. Updated May 2021 and May 2026.
Delicious and so easy to make. Ate this tonight and will have again tomorrow!
Lauren, I think your recipes are as close to mine as almost any I’ve ever found and I am so grateful that you keep so many of the “oldies but goodies” along with the new ones. My only problem is sometimes I want to watch your video for that particular recipe but I can never get the entire recipe in one video. You’ll have a short piece, then a 15 second or so commercial, and then a video of something else. I guess if I were to check, I could probably find them on You Tube but I’m the lazy type; at 82 years of age I think I deserve to be a bit lazy. I do want to thank you for helping so many, many young people learn to cook with you. I think you’re great! Sincerely, L.
Thank you for your sweet message! Lauren will be thrilled to know her recipes resonate with you. We appreciate your feedback about the videos and will work on making them easier to watch without interruptions. Your support means so much to us!
Amazing! This recipe is legit a new staple in my household! The only thing I did differently was I battered and fried strips of chicken thighs.
Love the salad. Great flavor. You should try the Pittsburgh salad. I use toppings of hot french fries and chicken or steak and a sweet and sour Marzetti dressing. I come from PA and it is very popular there.
We love this recipe and have made it several times! It is an excellent salad for meal prep because it stays fresh and crunchy for several days! Thank you!