Chinese Chicken Salad
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Toss up a storm of flavors with the Chinese Chicken Salad! It’s a crunchy, juicy delight that you can prep ahead and eat for days to come for lunch or dinner!
This is a super easy take on a popular salad that you’ve probably had before. What I like about it is that it keeps in the fridge really well so I can make a batch on the weekend and eat it for lunch for three or four days and it just gets better every day the flavors are allowed to marinate and blend.
If you love super easy salads make sure you check out some of my other recipes like Broccoli Salad With Bacon and Raisins, Quick Easy Greek Salad, Summer Corn Salad, and Crunchy Refrigerator Salad.
What You’ll Need to Make Chinese Chicken Salad:
- Vegetable oil
- Rice Vinegar
- Cole Slaw Mix (or shred your own cabbage, see recipe for how much)
- Matchstick Carrots
- Cooked Chicken breasts
- Chicken flavored Ramen
- Salt
- Pepper
- Green Onions
- Sliced Almonds
Helpful Kitchen Tools
*I know the Rice Vinegar isn’t one of those ingredients that most folks have on hand and I started to substitute it but it costs less than $2 at my grocery store and is easy to find in the Asian Foods section.
How to Make Chinese Chicken Salad:
To start with, lets take two packages of Chicken Flavored Ramen Noodles, set the seasoning packets aside (You’ll use those in our dressing) and crumble them up coarsely. Place those on a rimmed baking sheet along with about a cup of slivered almonds.
Stir them up a bit.
Now place that in a 350 degree oven for about ten minutes or so, until lightly browned.
Stir it up again about five minutes into the toasting.
Take your oil, Rice Vinegar, Sugar, Seasoning Packets from the packages of Ramen Noodles, Salt, and Pepper and put them all in a big old mason jar.
Put the lid on that jar and shake for all you’re worth.
You now have your dressing! Set this aside.
**You could also use a blender for this but a mason jar is usually handy around my house.
Get a large bowl and place your cabbage, carrots, green onions, and chopped chicken in it.
Here is our dressing. Now just pour that over our salad mixture.
I know you may be thinking “This is cabbage, this isn’t a salad” but really, by the time we add this dressing and let it marinate a bit, it will feel much more like lettuce, but it won’t get all soft and nasty like lettuce would.
Give that a really good stir to get everything coated well. Then, you can make it fit in a 9×13 pan or your biggest Pyrex mixing bowl (it will shrink down a bit after a few hours) and then cover it and place it in the fridge.
This Chinese chicken salad really needs to sit in the fridge for several hours, or overnight, to allow the flavors to blend and develop.
I haven’t forgotten about the ramen and almonds! Don’t put them on the salad until you are ready to serve it. I store that mix in a plastic bag and put it on the individual servings.
And voila! Our beautiful Chinese Chicken Salad – that I eat for lunch several days a week 🙂
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken Breasts cooked, cooled, and cubed
- 2 pkgs Cole Slaw Mix Shredded cabbage, about ten cups
- 1 package MatchStick Carrots about 2 cups
- 2 packages Chicken Flavor Ramen Noodles
- 1 Cup Sliced Almonds
- 3 -4 Green Onions sliced
- 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
- 1/3 Cup Rice Vinegar
- 3/4 Cup Sugar
- 2 Seasoning Packets from the Ramen Noodle packages
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
Instructions
- Break up ramen noodles onto jelly roll pan, reserving seasoning packets for dressing. Stir in almonds. Place in 350 degree oven and toast about ten minutes, stirring halfway through, until very lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Once cooled, store in large zipper seal bag.
- In Quart size mason jar, place both seasoning packets from Ramen, oil, rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Put lid on tightly and shake vigorously until well blended. Set aside.
- Dump cole slaw mix, carrots, green onions, and chicken in a very large bowl (or dish pan). Stir well. Shake dressing again and then pour over all. Stir to coat. You can make it fit in a 9x13 pan or your biggest Pyrex mixing bowl and then cover it and place it in the fridge. It really needs to sit in the fridge for several hours, or overnight, to allow the flavors to blend and develop. Top each serving with toasted Ramen/Almond mix.
Makes 8-10 servings. Note: This makes a lot but lasts several days in the refrigerator and makes a great all in one meal for lunch or supper.
One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it’s worth watching.
~Anonymous
This reminds me of the Asian salad @ Applebee’s.
Thanks! I was one of those people looking for this recipe! Safe trip!
I hope you enjoy it Teresa and I am so excited about this trip, thank you for keeping us in your thoughts!!
I have to find my recipe for a similar recipe that we call Asian Slaw. My recipe also called for soy sauce, and I substitute Splenda for the sugar. I know it keeps well in the refrigerator several days, but it never makes it past the meal at which it is served! Soooo good! Thanks for posting this.
I’ve been making this for years. It is so good. I have a few changes, I use 2 T sugar (splenda is fine) and 3 T regular vinegar. I also like to toss my dressing on the salad right before serving, along with the crunchies. (I use a total of 1/2 cup of any or all of the following: slivered almonds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, Chinese noodles, or any other crunchy thing you enjoy) along with the ramen noodles. It is ~OK~ after it had wilted down a bit after the dressing, but my favorite way to eat it is right after it is dressed and everything is crunchy. I have never added the chicken, but it was part of the original recipe I was given. It sure do love it and it is always a hit at summer get- togethers.
This sounds good, too-thanks, Melanie!
Do you reduce the sugar from 1/2 cup to 2 Tbsp? Does that make it bitter?
No, it is not bitter at all. I can’t imagine it with 3/4 cup sugar!
Thanks Melanie, Are your other dressing ingredients the same as Christy’s? I want to try it with the reduced sugar but want to make sure I have everything else in proportion.
I only use one packet of ramen & seasning in addition to the sugar & vinegar changes.
No matter how you make it, it’s gonna be a hit.
I’ve seen it with soy sauce as well. It’s very versatile.
Sounds so, so good!
God bless you and keep you safe. You are in my prayers. Looking forward to hearing all about your trip.
Love, Pam
I’ll try this sometime this week. Looks great! Have a safe trip. You are in my prayers!
Thank you so much Cindy, your prayers mean the world to me!!
Sounds great, Christy! Could sugar substitute work in this recipe? Praying for your safe trip!
Yes, it sure will!! Thank you so much for your prayers, they mean the world to me!!