This Asian Chicken Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing is so colorful and crunchy! It has an assortment of veggies you can easily find at the store year-round. Plus, a tangy and earthy homemade dressing that’s out of this world!
If you’re looking for more easy Asian-inspired salad recipes, try my Asian noodle salad, Asian cucumber salad, and Asian chicken salad mason jars too!
Why You’ll Love This Chinese Chicken Salad
The best salads are not just a bowl of salad greens, grape tomatoes, shredded carrots, and a boring dressing. In fact, they are the opposite. Which brings me to this Asian chicken salad with sesame ginger dressing, and why you’ll just adore it.
- Great texture. The combination of crunchy snow peas and bell peppers, juicy mandarin oranges, tender chicken, and more, make every bite of this salad a delight.
- Sweet and tangy. Homemade sesame ginger dressing is made with honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes, and fresh ginger to achieve the perfect balance of sweet, salty, and spicy flavor.
- Quick and simple. You can prep this easy Asian chicken salad in 20 minutes!
What You’ll Need
Below is the list of ingredients you’ll need to make my Asian chicken salad with sesame ginger dressing exactly as I made it. But, there is absolutely no harm in omitting what you don’t have or swapping out a few of the ingredients. (I’ll give you some suggestions. Also, for exact amounts and the full set of directions, scroll down to the recipe card below.)
For the Salad:
- Greens – I used a spring mix, but you can use whatever greens you have on hand. Lighter and softer greens like arugula and spinach work really well for this salad.
- Snow peas – I love the crunch that snow peas add to this salad! You could also use blanched green beans cut into 1″ pieces.
- Red bell pepper – The red bell peppers add a little bit of sweetness and a pop of color. Yellow and orange peppers would also work.
- Mandarin oranges – Of course, these little guys add a bit of sweetness that really rounds out the flavor of the salad. You could also use fresh orange segments.
- Carrots – Another vegetable that adds color and texture. You could add some shredded cabbage instead if you don’t have any carrots.
- Green onions – Chives also will work! Or you could use sliced red onions.
- Boneless chicken breast – You could also use leftover chicken or meat from a rotisserie chicken. Just make sure that you remove any bones.
- Salt and pepper – For seasoning the chicken.
- Sesame seeds – A flavorful and fiber-packed garnish that adds more crunch!
For the Dressing:
- Soy sauce – Or you can use tamari if you’re gluten-free.
- Rice vinegar – You can find seasoned rice vinegar or regular rice vinegar. Seasoned vinegar is going to be a little sweeter.
- Fresh ginger – I highly recommend using fresh ginger and not dried ginger here. There’s nothing quite like the mix of fresh ginger and garlic.
- Fresh garlic – Again, using fresh is highly recommended!
- Raw honey – This adds a little sweetness to the dressing, which is needed to balance out the acidity. You could also use maple syrup or agave syrup.
- Sesame seeds – One of the stars of the dressing! I love the way they look in the salad and they add flavor and texture, too.
- Black pepper – Freshly ground black pepper is the way to go.
- Red pepper flakes – Add more or less depending on how spicy you want the dressing to be.
- Sesame oil – The taste that the sesame oil brings is what makes this dressing so unique. I don’t recommend using a substitute.
- Olive oil – This will mellow out the sesame oil, so you can use a substitute here. I recommend avocado oil.
How to Make Asian Chicken Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing
Here’s how to make this delicious, restaurant-quality salad!
- First, make the dressing. Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk them together, or you can shake them up in a mason jar.
- Next, grill the chicken. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook it on the grill. Make sure that the juices run clear and the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 175F. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before slicing.
- Then, build your salad! You can do this however you’d like… I like to toss the vegetables, greens, and other salad goodies with the dressing and then add the chicken on top (with more drizzles of the dressing). Serve your Asian chicken salad immediately.
Tips for Success
It’s really simple to make this Chinese chicken salad taste like it’s straight off of a takeout menu. Follow these tips and you’ll be sure to amaze your friends, family, and even yourself!
- Buy the freshest produce. Most of these ingredients can be found year-round. I prefer to buy fresh vs. frozen when it comes to salads. I would choose a fresh alternative vegetable (like green beans instead of snow peas) over using a canned or frozen ingredient.
- Cut everything to be about the same size. It’s all about getting that “good bite,” which has a little bit of everything on it. And, the best way to do that is to cut everything to be about the same size.
- Make the salad right before you want to eat it. Never dress a salad long before you want to serve it! It’s bound to get soggy. If you want to prep everything ahead of time you can keep the vegetables and greens separate in airtight containers in the fridge.
Serving Suggestions
Some of my favorite ways to serve this Asian chicken salad are below, including some protein substitutes and beverage pairings.
- No chicken? No problem! This recipe will cater to a number of different proteins. My favorite is to make grilled shrimp to put on top instead.
- Soup and Salad Combo: Make my 30 minute Thai soup for the best of both worlds – warm and comforting soup paired with a bright and fresh salad.
- Lunch and Cocktails: Make it an afternoon with the girls and serve this chicken salad with a fun cocktail like my pineapple rum punch or paloma!
Can This Chicken Salad Be Prepared in Advance?
I don’t recommend making this Asian chicken salad recipe ahead of time. What I suggest is doing all of the prep work for the salad and then storing the items separately in the fridge. This way the items stay as fresh as possible and nothing gets soggy!
How to Store This Salad
I like to use small airtight tupperware containers when meal prepping this Asian chicken salad. Then I can grab them and build the salad whenever I want to eat it. The cut up vegetables will stay fresh in the fridge for about 3-4 days. Same goes for the chicken. You can choose to reheat the chicken or not – either way is equally delicious!
More Easy Salad Recipes
In the mood to try some more quick and easy but flavor-packed salads? You’re in the right place!
- Classic Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing
- Fattoush Salad
- Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
- Cucumber Tomato Feta Salad
- Blackened Grilled Salmon Salad
Asian Chicken Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Salads
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Asian chicken salad is full of flavor, texture, and bright colorful ingredients. An easy chicken salad recipe that can readily take the place of takeout! It’s packed with vegetables like snow peas and carrots, and then topped with a homemade sesame ginger dressing.
Ingredients
- 10 ounces spring mix
- 1/2 cup snow peas, cubed
- 3/4 cup red pepper, julienned
- 3/4 cup mandarin oranges, drained
- 1/2 cup carrots, grated
- 1/2 cup green onions, sliced
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- season with salt & pepper
- garnish with sesame seeds, lime wedges and cilantro
Sesame Ginger Dressing:
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced or grated
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons raw honey
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, honey, sesame seeds, black pepper, red pepper flakes, sesame oil, and olive oil. Mix until well combined and there is no more oil & vinegar separation.
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat, about 350°F-375°F.
- Season both sides of chicken breasts with salt & pepper.
- Place chicken on the grill and grill each side for 5-6 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Remove chicken from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes, then sliced chicken.
- In a large bowl place, fresh spring mix, snow peas, red pepper, carrots, green onions, mandarin oranges, sliced grilled chicken breast. Garnish with sesame seeds, fresh cilantro and lime wedges. Serve with Sesame Ginger Dressing.
Notes
- To meal prep. I like to use small airtight tupperware containers when meal prepping this Asian chicken salad. Then I can grab them and build the salad whenever I want to eat it. The cut up vegetables will stay fresh in the fridge for about 3-4 days. Same goes for the chicken. You can choose to reheat the chicken or not – either way is equally delicious!
