This Chinese chicken salad recipe uses leftover or rotisserie chicken, cabbage, and fresh mandarin oranges. The dressing incorporates grated ginger, garlic, and some toasted sesame oil for added flavor.
Most recipes include either fried wonton strips or crispy noodles for added crunch. I have instructions to replace that (if you've got the time!) with crispy fried carrots.
The recipe is for 4 meal-sized salads. It's pretty healthy too - high in protein and fiber, while low in saturated fat and calories.
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Recipe
Ingredients
Chinese chicken salad
- 1 pound leftover or rotisserie chicken shredded (about 4 cups)
- 1 head Napa cabbage about 1 pound, sub with a head of iceberg or romaine
- ½ head red cabbage
- 1 cup carrots buy pre-shredded to save time
- 6-8 small mandarins clementines or satsumas are ideal
- ⅓ cup sliced almonds buy pre-sliced to save time
Sesame dressing
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 3 tablespoon rice vinegar also called rice wine vinegar / or sub orange juice
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Garnishes
- 4 green onions (about half of a bunch)
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro optional
- 2 tablespoon sesame seeds
Optional fried carrots
- 1 10-oz bag grated carrots and 2 cups oil for frying
Instructions
Prepare salad ingredients & garnishes
- Shred cabbage into thin strips. Shred carrots. Chop almonds (if you didn't buy pre-sliced). Peel and segment the mandarins. Slice the green onions and chop cilantro (if using).
Make the sesame dressing
- Grate the ginger and garlic on a microplane grater. This makes them paste-like, which easily mixes into the dressing.1 tablespoon grated ginger, 1 clove garlic
- Add the grated garlic, ginger, and remaining dressing ingredients to a bowl. Whisk until it comes together. (Keep whisking for a minute or two and it will turn into a more viscous consistency). Taste, adjust flavors as needed (more sesame oil, more honey, etc).2 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 3 tablespoon rice vinegar, 2 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, ½ teaspoon black pepper
Optional: crunchy fried carrots
- Dry carrots between two paper towels (water and oil don't play nice). Heat 2 cups of oil in a medium metal pot. Once hot (325℉), add the shredded carrots. I found pre-shredded carrots to work best for this. Fry until they just start to brown - about 3-4 minutes.Quickly remove with a metal slotted spoon (one that won't melt). Set them on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt while they are still hot.
Combine the salad & serve
- In a large bowl, toss the cabbage with half of the dressing. Add in chicken, shredded carrots, mandarins, and almonds. Add more dressing and toss to coat.Garnish with green onions, cilantro, sesame seeds, and fried carrots (if using).
Notes
Nutrition
Serving size & nutrition
Most of the time, a Chinese chicken salad is meant to be a standalone meal. This recipe reflects that, making 4 large meals. It's incredibly healthy, thanks to being loaded with protein, fiber, and plenty of vitamins while being low in saturated fat.
Calories
The calories are pretty low for a dinner - under 550 calories.
The majority of the calories are from the chicken and salad dressing. I've broken down the calories per serving for each ingredient, to help you customize the salad for your nutritional goals.
| Ingredient | Calories per serving |
|---|---|
| Rotisserie chicken | 210 |
| Napa & red cabbage | 70 |
| Carrots | 15 |
| Mandarin oranges | 25 |
| Almonds | 45 |
| Olive & sesame oils | 95 |
| Honey | 15 |
| Sesame seeds | 25 |
Protein & fiber
The USDA recommends certain amounts of vitamins, protein, and fiber in our diet. They provide a calculator that personalizes the recommendations for you.
The daily recommended amount of protein is generally 0.36 grams per pound of weight. Most people need 60-75 grams of protein a day and 25-35 grams of fiber.
This particular mandarin orange Chinese chicken salad recipe has 40 grams of protein and 10 grams of fiber.
Here's a breakdown per serving for each ingredient that significantly contributes to those goals.
| Ingredient | Protein | Fiber |
|---|---|---|
| Rotisserie chicken | 31g | 0 |
| Napa & red cabbage | 4g | 5g |
| Mandarin oranges | 1g | 2g |
| Almonds | 1.5g | 1g |
| Sesame seeds | 1g | 0.5g |
| Carrots | 1g |
Fried carrots
I left the fried carrots out of the nutrition because they are hard to accurately determine the calories. However, by my estimation, for each half cup of fresh carrots, they are about 100 calories once fried.
This estimation is based on two different, trustworthy sources: Sunset Magazine and Serious Eats. They each have recipes for fried shallots, which (I assume) probably absorb as similar amount of oil as carrots when fried.
I compared calories based on the volume of carrots before frying and the serving size to come up with my estimation.
Fresh mandarin oranges
Sometimes a Chinese chicken salad is also called a mandarin chicken salad because it includes mandarin orange slices.
Mandarins are a type of orange that's smaller, sweeter, and usually more strongly flavored that traditional oranges. They are commonly in season from November through April.
There are a bunch of different types of mandarin oranges, including clementines, satsumas, and even the giant Sumo Citrus. The smaller ones work best for this salad because you can use the segments whole.
Clementines are the smallest of the bunch, which is what I always use. They are commonly sold in bags, under the brand names Halo, Cuties, or Sweeties.
Satsumas are also a great option. In fact, satsumas are the most commonly used variety for canned oranges at the grocery store.
Sometimes mandarins end up bland and before you know it, they are about to go bad because no one is snacking on them. This Chinese chicken salad is the perfect way to use up those mandarins before they go bad.
The dressing gives the oranges extra life, while the salad still benefits from their sweet pop of citrus. Even if the flavor isn't stellar, they still have a lot to contribute.
Types of cabbage for a Chinese chicken salad
Any type of cabbage or crunchy lettuce can be used for Chinese chicken salads. They each have their own subtle differences.
The most common cabbages for this type of salad is a combination of Napa cabbage (common in Chinese cuisine) and red cabbage (common in the US) for the extra crunch and pop of color. It sounds silly, but the extra pop of color really does make the salad look more delicious than when it's missing.
That said, you may not want to buy several different cabbages without a plan to use them all up. So here's a breakdown of each type of cabbage to help you make a decision.
- Napa cabbages are more tender and taste milder than red or green cabbage
- Green cabbage has a peppery flavor when raw and is crunchy, yet tender
- Red cabbage tastes similar to green cabbage but with an even thicker, crunchier texture. It is perfect when sliced thin (or shredded).
How to shred cabbage
The texture of the cabbage in Chinese chicken salad is similar to coleslaw. Thin, medium-long length strips make up the base. It's pretty easy to cut with a knife, although a mandolin makes them even finer.
You can technically use a box grater with large holes, but the pieces end up more like shredded carrots than firm, crunchy strips.
There's a great guide on shredding cabbage at Fifteen Spatulas, with pictures comparing a knife to a mandolin. It's very helpful.
Making the salad without cabbage
I get it - either you don't like cabbage or don't have any on hand. No problem. A Chinese chicken salad without cabbage is still outstanding because we can substitute in other crunchy greens.
Iceberg and romaine lettuce are fantastic swaps. Heads of iceberg lettuce are the same size as cabbages. As for heads of romaine lettuce - you might need to buy 1.5 to 2x the amount.
Kale adds a more tender crunch as well as a contrasting color with its dark green leaves. I'd still remove the veins before slicing the leaves into thin strips. Curly kale could also work, adding a fun texture to the salad.
Brussels sprouts can also be cut into a shredded-like consistency and used in this salad. It's a great option in fall and winter when brussels sprouts are in season.
Red cabbage is the best way to add that purple color to the salad, but if you want a salad without cabbage, radicchio is the answer. It's red, crunchy, and has an assertively bitter taste. A lot of salad greens are bitter but mellow out when mixed with dressing (thanks to chemistry and how fat, salt, and sugar all counter bitter flavors).
Best options for chicken
If you are making this salad from scratch, you can bake or pan-fry some chicken breasts. But I almost always use leftover chicken or buy a rotisserie chicken when I'm craving this salad.
Leftover chicken
Leftover chicken is great in so many salads (try it in a Cobb salad too). For Chinese chicken salads, chicken breast is typically used over dark meat. The lighter, leaner texture works best in this salad, while the fattier dark meat makes a great stew.
That said, if all of have left is dark meat, don't let anyone stop you from using it in this (or any) salad.
Here are some leftover options:
- Grilled: use plain-grilled chicken that hasn't been slathered in a BBQ sauce
- Fried: Shred the fried chicken, feel free to leave the crispy breading on. Crisp it back up by heating it on a tray in the oven at 400F for 5-10 minutes.
- Baked: use any portion of baked chicken, breast, legs, thighs, or even wings
I've found that meat is easier to shred when it's warm than straight out of the fridge. If you're having a hard time shredding it, try warming it up in the microwave or oven.
Rotisserie chicken
Rotisserie chicken is my go-to when I don't have leftover chicken but I still want to make a mandarin orange chicken salad. Even the breast meat is tender and shreds easily from almost any store-bought rotisserie chicken.
Some of the chickens are flavored with rosemary, or lemon & pepper. Be sure to get a plain rotisserie chicken for this salad recipe.
Costco is a fan favorite source for rotisserie chickens, but most large grocery stores carry them these days for $6-$10, or less when on sale.
Carrots
For most recipes, I almost always opt for freshly shredded carrots over the pre-shredded ones sold in a bag. The flavor of freshly shredded carrots is better.
However, I make an exception for this salad because the dryer pre-shredded carrots and their stiffer texture are better suited. A 10-ounce bag will be just right for 4 large salads.
If you plan to also fry carrots for a crispy topping, you'll want a second 10-ounce bag. Or just use store-bought crispy wonton strips or noodles to save some time.
Salad dressing
The typical Chinese chicken salad dressing contains sesame oil, rice vinegar (also called rice wine vinegar), soy sauce, and ginger. Different recipes vary the amount of each ingredient quite a bit.
Homemade dressings are the perfect opportunity to customize the ingredients based on your preferences. To do that, make a recipe (mostly) as instructed, but go slightly lighter on each flavorful ingredient.
For example, start with just slightly less ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Once you stir it together, taste it. Add what you think is missing or make a specific flavor more prominent.
If you have a microplane grater (or zester), it's the best way to grate garlic and ginger into any type of dressing. It almost makes it paste-like with little effort, which mixes easily into the dressing.
If you don't have one (or yours is really dull... been there!), this is the product I'm talking about. I suggest getting one (like this) with a type of 'foot' so it doesn't slide around on a plate (or dent a wood cutting board... also been there!).
Those Amazon links are affiliate, which means I get a small commission if you purchase something. I have no brand loyalty for which microplane grater to buy - so choose anything you want!
Chinese chicken salad variations
The original Chinese chicken salad is attributed to Madam Wu's in Santa Monica. The original recipe is hard to verify.
Los Angeles Times reprinted the recipe that appeared in The Times in 1998, which doesn't use cabbage, and the dressing doesn't have ginger. Both of those ingredients are considered pretty standard for modern versions of the dish.
There are a bunch of variations on this classic salad. My version replaces crispy wonton strips with fried carrots. Other versions load up on veggies, like snow peas, snap peas, peppers, and cucumbers.
Saveur magazine has a veggie-loaded version worth checking out. They add peanut butter to the dressing, along with snow peas, cucumbers, and red bell peppers.
Another option is to make the salad without the mandarin oranges and adding crunchy noodles. Recipe Tin Eats has a tasty, easy to follow recipe.
More recipes & resources
If you love a meal-sized salad, check out my summer Cobb salad which has even more protein than this one.
Or make some Orange chicken at home instead of takeout this week.
If you're wondering what else is currently in season, check out my calendars to see what produce is in season each month (and coming up soon).
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