This Chinese Chicken Salad serves up an enormous helping of veggies and protein, all smothered in an umami-packed sesame ginger dressing. With cabbage, carrots, green onions, and toasted almonds, you'll get a big variety of crunchy goodies in this salad. Plus, it's paleo, gluten free, and Whole30. Booyah!
Ready for a huge, flavorful lunch?
Gradually, I've realized that chopped salads are where it's at.
Sure, I love a good lettuce-based salad. (The secret is to load it up with awesome toppings.)
But salads that aren't lettuce-based are pretty freaking great. Case in point: Thai Cabbage Salad with Sunbutter Dressing — not a lettuce leaf in sight but dang is that a good salad!
Who knew that thinly sliced cabbage would make such an epic base for a salad swimming in luscious, robust ginger dressing?
And because lettuce isn't the only way to salad, I foresee myself riding the non-lettuce salad train pretty hard this summer. Admittedly, I've already got a couple more salad recipes in the pipeline that feature other vegetables like cucumber and cauliflower!
But to get back to this salad in particular... You've gotta love a salad that serves up an entire meal, not just a side dish.
And let me tell ya, this salad is filling. With so many different veggies and a heaping helping of protein, this recipe goes a long way! I had enough leftovers for 3-4 lunches.
Speaking of leftovers, I think this Chinese chicken salad is pretty great a day later, but after that the cabbage starts to get a little soggy. If that doesn't bother you, though (it doesn't bother me much), have at it!
More Salads You're Gonna Love
- Thai Cabbage Salad with Sunbutter Dressing
- Warm Winter Kale Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
- Warm Fall Harvest Salad
- Springtime Shrimp & Radish Salad
- Tomato and Cucumber Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette
Chinese Chicken Salad Recipe with Sesame Ginger Dressing
Chinese Chicken Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: salad, main meal
- Method: salad, pan fry
- Cuisine: chinese
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
- ¼ cup coconut aminos
- 3 Tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- ¼ cup + 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup finely chopped green onions (white and green parts)
- 1 pound Napa cabbage, very thinly sliced (7-9 cups)
- 2 carrots, grated
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- ⅔ cup freshly cut cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup slivered almonds, toasted
- 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds, toasted
- 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds, toasted
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts on a flat surface and pound to uniform thickness.
- Whisk together coconut aminos, ginger, ¼ cup olive oil, fish sauce, sesame oil, sriracha, and salt. Measure out 3 tablespoons and set the rest aside. Rub the 3 tablespoons into the chicken breasts on both sides. Place the chicken breasts in a zip-top bag, squeeze out air, and seal. Refrigerate and let marinate for 3 hours to overnight.
- Add the red wine vinegar and chopped green onions to the reserved ginger mixture, whisking until smooth to create a vinaigrette. Refrigerate the vinaigrette until ready to serve.
- Combine the sliced cabbage, carrots, sliced green onions, cilantro, slivered almonds, and sesame seeds in a large bowl. Toss with vinaigrette.
- Once the chicken is done marinating, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 4-5 minutes per side, until cooked through. Transfer to a cutting board. Let rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing into strips.
- Separate the slaw into 4 equal portions. Top each portion with half a chicken breast.
Keywords: Chinese chicken salad, sesame ginger dressing
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