Chinese Chicken Salad with Sesame Dressing

This Chinese chicken salad is wonderfully flavorful and fresh. Make it ahead, refrigerate it, and enjoy whenever you need a quick meal.

Course Salad

Cuisine Chinese

Prep Time 20

Rest time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings servings

Calories 322kcal

Use your hands to shred the chicken breasts. Place the chicken pieces in a very large mixing bowl.
1.5 pounds chicken breasts
Add the shredded cabbage and green onions and toss everything together. Alternatively, keep the green onions for later and use them to top the salad for a pretty presentation.
12 ounces coleslaw mix, ⅓ cup green onions
In a small jar, add the dressing ingredients: soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Shake well to mix. You can also whisk the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
4 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons sesame oil, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon fresh garlic, 1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.
Cover and refrigerate for one hour to allow the flavors to meld. Toss again before serving and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Seasonings, especially saltiness and sweetness, are guidelines. Adjust to taste.
If you need to cook the chicken, you can follow this recipe for baked chicken breasts.
One of the best things about this salad is that you can make it in advance and refrigerate it. In fact, it tastes better as the flavors meld, so it's best to make it a few hours before you plan to serve it.
You can skip the crunchy noodles often added to these salads. The cabbage provides plenty of crunch. If you'd like extra crunch, add ¼ cup of slivered almonds before serving.
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Remember to start counting on the day the chicken was cooked. I don't recommend freezing this salad. Its texture will be off after thawing.