Crunchy Chinese Chicken Salad

Chinese chicken salad in a large serving bowl.

If you love crunchy salads with an oriental bent, this Chinese chicken salad is the best! It’s a quick and easy dish with bagged coleslaw mix, fresh veggies, and leftover rotisserie chicken. I make this Asian chicken salad with uncooked ramen noodles and use the seasoning packet for a flavorful Chinese chicken salad dressing.

This recipe is new and improved, loosely based on the 2015 original.

This ramen noodle salad with chunks of leftover rotisserie chicken is an easy cheater’s version of restaurant-style Asian chicken salad recipes.

The flavors are punchy and bright, with an oriental flavor you’ll crave. This salad has become one of my husband’s most requested.

Why you’ll love this recipe:

  • It tastes like a restaurant-quality Chinese chicken salad with all the fun mix-ins.
  • It uses convenience items and pantry staples.
  • You can make this Asian chicken salad recipe in about 15-20 minutes.
  • Kids and adults love this salad.
  • It can be assembled ahead of time with just a few last minute ingredients added just before serving.
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Ingredients for Chinese chicken salad:

Ingredients for the Chinese chicken salad.
  • Prepared Coleslaw Mix – You can use any pre-shredded coleslaw mix or about a half head of grated cabbage.
  • Soy Sauce Flavored Ramen Noodles – Maruchan is the most common brand in my supermarket. Be sure to get the Soy Sauce flavor — because you’ll use the flavor packets in the Chinese chicken salad dressing while the dry noodles are used in the salad.
  • Red Bell Pepper – you could also use yellow or orange sweet bell peppers, but don’t substitute green bell peppers as they have a more distinct vegetal flavor.
  • Carrots – to add crunch and sweetness.
  • Green Onions – a.k.a. scallions, thinly sliced.
  • Hothouse Cucumber – these are also known as English cucumbers and they have very thin peels and no seeds. If you use regular cucumbers, peel and seed them before dicing.
  • Leftover Rotisserie Chicken – I recommend using the white meat from the breast.
  • Sunflower Seeds – to add additional crunch and give the Asian chicken salad that restaurant quality flavor.
  • Salted Roasted Peanuts – I recommend Virginia peanuts which tend to be larger and very crunchy. Don’t use Spanish peanuts with the skin.
  • Cilantro – freshly chopped herbs give the salad a fresh flavor.
  • Canola Oil – or vegetable oil for the Chinese chicken salad dressing.
  • Unseasoned Rice Wine Vinegar – also for the dressing
  • Granulated Sugar – to balance the dressing and give it a bit of sweetness.

Generally speaking, you won’t need to add kosher salt or black pepper to the salad dressing, because the soy sauce flavor packet is already highly seasoned.

How to make the Asian salad (step-by-step)

  1. Whisk the canola oil, rice vinegar, sugar and flavor packets from the Soy Sauce flavored ramen noodles. Set aside. (The flavor packet has flavors of sesame oil and soy (which is similar to tamari).

2. Transfer the dry ramen noodles to a zip-top bag, squeeze out the air, and seal the bag. Use a rolling pin or mallet to crush the noodles into small pieces. Set aside.

3. Assemble and chop the ingredients.

4. Combine the coleslaw mix, red bell pepper, carrot, green onions, cucumber and diced chicken in a large bowl. Use tongs to toss them together well.

5. Just before serving, add the crushed ramen noodles, sunflower seeds, salted peanuts, cilantro and about half of the dressing. Toss to coat and taste for seasonings. Add more dressing, one to two tablespoons or more, as needed. (Leftover dressing can be used on other salads).

Make ahead and storage tips:

Make ahead:

To make the ramen noodle salad ahead of time. Combine the vegetables and make the asian salad dressing, but store them separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator.

Add the dressing, ramen noodles, sunflower seeds, peanuts, and cilantro until just before serving the Chinese chicken salad. A dressed salad doesn’t hold up as long as an undressed one, and the crunchy ingredients (i.e., ramen, sunflower seeds, peanuts) will soften overnight.

Storing leftovers:

You can store leftovers of the whole salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator overnight. The noodles will get softer, and the nuts won’t be as crunchy, but the salad will still taste good. To bring back the crunch, add a few extra chopped peanuts, or a handful of chow mein noodles or wonton strips.

Freezing:

This Asian ramen salad doesn’t freeze well.

A bowl of Asian chicken salad.

Variations:

  • Swap the peanuts for toasted sliced almonds or salted cashews.
  • Add a small can of drained mandarin oranges for a citrusy accent.
  • For spice, add diced jalapenos or serrano peppers to the salad. Conversely, add a few dashes of hot sauce or Sriracha to the Chinese chicken salad dressing recipe before dressing the salad.
  • Add toasted sesame seeds for extra flavor and crunch.
  • Try this ramen noodle salad with diced pork or steamed shrimp instead of chicken.
  • If you don’t have coleslaw mix, you can use a blend of ½ head of chopped napa cabbage and ½ cup of red cabbage or even a head of romaine lettuce in place of the slaw mix.
  • For more veggies, add sliced snap peas or snow peas to the Chinese chicken salad recipe.

FAQs

What is Chinese chicken salad made of?

There are many variations on Chinese chicken salad. This one uses cabbage, sweet peppers, carrots and crunchy ramen noodles.

What is Chinese salad dressing made of?

There is no one way to make Chinese salad dressing, but most will have ingredients like soy sauce, ginger, garlic and some acid – either vinegar or citrus juice.

A serving of Asian chicken salad on a plate.

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Chinese chicken salad in a large serving bowl.
Print Pin
5 from 3 votes

Chinese Chicken Salad with Ramen

A crunchy flavorful Asian chicken salad with fresh veggies, peanuts and sunflower seeds and ramen noodles in a delicious oriental dressing.
Author: Lisa Lotts
Course Main Course, Salad
Cuisine Asian Inspired
Keyword cabbage, coleslaw, rotisserie chicken
Dietary Restrictions Dairy-Free, Egg Free
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 6

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE ASIAN DRESSING:

  • ¾ cup Vegetable or canola oil
  • 2 flavor packets from the Soy Sauce Ramen Noodles
  • ¼ cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar
  • ¼ cup white sugar

FOR THE ASIAN CHICKEN SALAD:

  • 1 pound prepackaged coleslaw mix
  • 2 packages Soy Sauce flavored Ramen Noodles
  • ½ medium red bell pepper thinly sliced into 1″ pieces
  • 1 medium carrot shredded
  • 3 green onions thinly sliced
  • ½ hothouse cucumber chopped into ½” dice
  • 2 cups cooked chicken breast cut into ½” dice
  • cup toasted sunflower seeds
  • cup roasted salted peanuts chopped
  • ½ cup chopped cilantro

DIRECTIONS:

FOR THE ASIAN DRESSING:

  • Combine ¾ cup Vegetable or canola oil, 2 flavor packets from the Soy Sauce flavor ramen noodle packages, ¼ cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar,¼ cup white sugar in a small bowl. Whisk until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.

FOR THE ASIAN CHICKEN SALAD:

  • Transfer the uncooked ramen noodles to a zip-top bag and use a rolling pin or mallet to crush the noodles into small, bite-sized pieces.
  • In a large bowl, combine 1 pound prepackaged coleslaw mix,½ medium red bell pepper, julienned, 1 medium carrot, grated, 3 green onions, thinly sliced, ½ hothouse cucumber, diced and2 cups cooked chicken breast. Mix the ingredients and add about ½ of the Asian dressing. Toss well to coat.
  • Add 2 packages crushed Ramen Noodles, ⅓ cup toasted sunflower seeds, ⅓ cup roasted salted peanuts, and ½ cup chopped cilantro. Toss well until the ingredients are evenly combined. Serve.

RECIPE VIDEO:

YouTube video

NUTRITION:

Calories: 598.41kcal | Carbohydrates: 36.76g | Protein: 22.69g | Fat: 41.37g | Saturated Fat: 7.96g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 20.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11.04g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 39.67mg | Sodium: 724.89mg | Potassium: 511.96mg | Fiber: 4.87g | Sugar: 12.89g | Vitamin A: 2272.94IU | Vitamin C: 43.32mg | Calcium: 74.08mg | Iron: 2.75mg

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2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This is a great recipe to create a delicious and healthy dinner. I was worried about the ingredients in the dressing, but it was just right! Another winner! Thank you, Lisa!

  2. Emily Larson says:

    5 stars
    I love that this asian recipe doesn’t have peanuts in it! cashews are such a great alternative for people with a peanut allergy.