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A dinner plate filled with Chinese chicken salad, mandarin oranges, shredded cabbage, and a sesame salad dressing.
5 from 2 votes

Chinese chicken salad with mandarin oranges

Rotisserie chicken, cabbage, and mandarin oranges are mixed with a sesame ginger dressing.
Prep Time20 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Servings: 4 meal-sized salads
Calories: 533kcal

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.
  • 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).

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

Chicken: If the leftover / rotisserie chicken is hard to shred, try heating it up. That usually helps!
Nutrition is calculated based on all ingredients, including garnishes, except the fried carrots.
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Nutrition

Calories: 533kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 972mg | Potassium: 1238mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 7421IU | Vitamin C: 179mg | Calcium: 339mg | Iron: 3mg