Sesame Ginger Chicken Salad

Please give me all the texture and flavor when making me a salad. I love this great recipe so much and am constantly changing the ingredients, but the one thing that do not change is the dressing. Oh, and wonton crisps, I love wonton crisps.

The magic is in the dressing and the flavorful poached chicken. This is a great way to get a variety of veggies into your day in a way that tastes oh so good.

Many moons ago I was madly in love with the Oriental Chicken Salad at Applebees, though I was NEVER fond of the name (insert eye roll).  There are all kinds of versions of this salad out in the world and you may find it named as a Chinese chicken salad or Asian chicken salad.  As the years passed and I learned more about food and my body I stopped eating at Applebees and was left to create my own version.  Insert this Sesame Ginger Chicken Salad recipe, not only is it culturally sensitive but it also is made with a refined sugar free and gluten free dressing.  Our Sesame Ginger Dressing is made with fresh ginger, tamari versus soy sauce, rice vinegar and we use honey to sweeten it making this delicious dressing a go-to for a variety of salads.  If you don't have time to make dressing and prefer to use store-bought dressings, I suggest using Annies Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette as a substitute. The dressing ingredients and flavor are decent, though you can never beat a homemade dressing in my book.

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Along with the homemade salad dressing we had another level of flavor by using our Sesame Ginger Poached Chicken in this salad.  These tender chicken slices really take this sesame chicken salad together but if you don't have time to poach a few chicken breasts, feel free to substitute with a rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store.

Ingredients

Salad ingredients:

• Ginger Sesame Salad Dressing
• Ginger Tamari Poached Chicken breasts
• Purple cabbage, thinly sliced
• Spinach leaves, finely chopped
• Romaine leaves, thinly sliced
• Kale leaves, finely chopped
• Carrots, thinly sliced or shredded
• Sugar snap peas, cut in half
• Cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• Green onions, thinly sliced (sub with thinly sliced red onions soaked in ice water or 10 minutes)
• Red bell pepper, thinly sliced (sub different bell peppers)

Optional:

• Wonton strips
• Peanuts chopped
• Toasted sesame seeds
• Chow mein noodles
• Sunflower seeds

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, add the dressing, so it lays at the bottom of the bowl. 
2. Add the remaining ingredients. 
3. Toss until well combined, and serve immediately.  Serve any remaining dressing on the side for folks to add more.

Substitutions

• Lettuce - you can use any type of lettuce but romaine works best because of the crunch it adds.  But feel free to use that spring mix bag in your refrigerator, and any other veggies that need to be used up before they go bad.
• Vegan - substitute the chicken with Crispy Fried Tofu. 
• Cabbage - use a variety of purple cabbage, green cabbage, and Napa cabbage or consider using a bag of coleslaw mix.

Variations

• Spicy - add chili pepper flakes to the salad dressing or add thinly sliced serrano peppers to the salad mix.
• Deluxe - add Crispy Fried Shallots, it's another step but so worth it.  You could also combine chicken with tofu pieces for another texture and flavor variety.
• Kid friendly - serve it as a salad bar and let the kids pick what they want in their salad.

Equipment

• Big bowl
• Cutting board
• Chefs knife
• Measuring spoons and cups
• Whisk
• Salad tongs

Storage

For meals on the go: add the dressing to a bottom of a large mason jar or airtight container. Toss veggies and chicken to mix and add to a mason jar.
Add the wonton crisps, peanuts, and toasted sesame to a separate small container.

To serve: Toss veggies and chicken in the dressing. 

Add the toppings, mix them into the salad and enjoy

This is a go-to salad for lunchtime meal prep.

FAQ

Related

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Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with [this recipe]:

Sesame Ginger Chicken Salad

Karolina Longoria

The magic is in the dressing and the flavorful poached chicken. This is a great way to get a variety of veggies into your day in a way that tastes oh so good.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Course salads

Cuisine Asian American

Servings 4 people

Equipment

• 1 Stovetop

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ¾ cup salad dressing Ginger Sesame Salad Dressing
• 2 cook chicken breasts thinly sliced (Ginger Tamari Poached Chicken breasts)
• 2 cups red cabbage thinly sliced
• 2 cups spinach leaves finely chopped
• 2 cups romaine leaves thinly sliced
• 2 cups kale leaves finely chopped
• 2 cups carrots thinly sliced or shredded
• 2 cups sugar snap peas cut in thirds
• 1 cup cilantro leaves finely chopped
• 1 cup green onions thinly sliced
• 1 cup red bell pepper thinly sliced
• 2 Ginger Tamari Poached Chicken Breasts thinly sliced

Optional:

• 2 cups wonton crisps
• 1 cup peanuts chopped
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds‍

Instructions

 

• In a large bowl, add the dressing, so it lays at the bottom of the bowl. Add the remaining ingredients. Toss until well combined, and serve immediately.
• For meals on the go: add the dressing to a bottom of a large mason jar. In a large bowl, toss veggies and chicken to mix and add to a mason jar.
• Add the wonton crisps, peanuts, and toasted sesame to a small container. Add to jars just before serving. Toss veggies and chicken in the dressing. Add the toppings, mix them into the salad and enjoy.‍

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Food safety

We sometimes take for a granted that we have years (or decades) of cooking experience, that the average visitor may not. Add to, or remove from, the list below with health and safety tips.

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.