Chinese Chicken Salad – A Vintage Recipe
Add Preferred SourceChinese Chicken Salad is a vintage salad that’s gaining in popularity again. Likely developed on the West Coast, this salad has been around for decades. It’s a great salad for entertaining, for taking to potlucks, or just noshing on for lunch or dinner. It’s crunchy, tangy, sweet, and loaded with veggies – what’s not to love?
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I love this salad. I’m a big fan of veggies, and this entree-worthy salad is so fresh, colorful and delicious.
I’m also a big fan of taking a few shortcuts, so instead of cutting and deep frying your on wonton strips, grab a bag of wonton strips from the grocery store. They’re usually wherever you find salad dressings.
I poach the chicken for this salad. That means simmering it low and slow in water with onions, garlic, bay leaves and peppercorns. This ensures the chicken doesn’t dry out. You could also use grilled chicken or just about any kind of chicken, including store-bought chicken strips.
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- Vegetable oil – Or canola oil.
- Rice wine vinegar
- Smooth peanut butter
- Soy sauce
- Sesame oil
- Dry mustard powder
- Lime juice
- Honey
- Sesame seeds
- Fresh ginger – Finely chopped or grated.
- Garlic – Finely chopped or grated.
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Salad
- Cooked shredded chicken
- Napa cabbage – Finely shredded.
- Romaine lettuce – Finely shredded.
- Bean sprouts
- Snow peas
- Green onions – White and green parts, sliced.
- Carrot – Julienned or thinly sliced.
- Cucumber – Thinly sliced.
- Red bell pepper – Sliced.
- Black sesame seeds – Optional garnish.
- Peanuts – Dry roasted, optional garnish.
- Crispy wonton strips – 3.5-ounce package, optional garnish.
- Cilantro – Fresh cilantro, chopped, optional garnish.
How To Make Chinese Chicken Salad
Whisk all of the dressing ingredients together in a bowl until smooth and fully combined. A small whisk helps emulsify the dressing quickly so it coats the salad evenly.
Add all of the salad ingredients except the wonton strips and optional garnishes to a large mixing bowl. A wide salad bowl gives you enough space to toss without crushing the greens.
Drizzle the dressing over the salad, then toss gently using salad tongs to coat everything evenly while keeping the vegetables crisp.
Top the salad with crispy wonton strips, peanuts, chopped cilantro, and black sesame seeds just before serving so the garnishes stay crunchy.
Serve immediately and enjoy while everything is fresh and crisp.
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Always toss the salad with the dressing right before serving to keep the vegetables crisp and the wonton strips crunchy.
- For a more robust flavor, let the dressing sit by preparing it a few hours ahead of time and refrigerating it until you’re ready to use it.
- Use a mandoline slicer for uniformly thin slices of cucumber and carrot. Or, use a julienne peeler.
- To turn up the heat, add a dash of chili oil or crushed red pepper flakes to the dressing.
Make It A Meal
Chinese chicken salad is delicious on its own but it can also be part of a larger spread. Serve it alongside other Asian-inspired dishes like Honey Walnut Shrimp or Kung Pao Chicken for a more substantial meal.
Storage
This salad is best enjoyed fresh, but if you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days. The dressed salad might lose some of its crunch over time, so it’s best to store the dressing separately if possible. Freezing is not recommended as the fresh vegetables and greens will not maintain their pleasant texture once thawed.
Chinese Chicken Salad – A Vintage Recipe
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar use unsweetened vinegar
- 3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard powder
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 2 teapoons honey
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon ginger finely grated
- 1 teaspoon garlic finely grated
- salt and pepper to taste
for the salad
- 1 pound cooked chicken shredded or cubed
- ½ head napa cabbage sliced thinly
- ½ head romaine lettuce sliced thinly
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 12 snow peas cut in half
- 4 green onions white and green parts sliced
- 1 carrot peeled and shredded or julienned
- 1 English cucumber sliced thinly
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds optional garnish
- ⅓ cup peanuts roasted, optional garnish
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro optional garnish
- 1 package wonton strips optional garnish
Instructions
- Combine all dressing ingredients in a bowl. Whisk together until smooth and thoroughly combined.
- Place all salad ingredients except for the wonton strips and optional garnishes in a large mixing bowl.
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad ingredients and toss gently to coat everything evenly.
- Garnish with crispy wonton strips, peanuts, chopped cilantro, and black sesame seeds just before serving.
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Always toss the salad with the dressing right before serving to keep the vegetables crisp and the wonton strips crunchy.
- For a more robust flavor, let the dressing sit by preparing it a few hours ahead of time and refrigerating it until you’re ready to use it.
- Use a mandoline slicer for uniformly thin slices of cucumber and carrot. Or, use a julienne peeler.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.
So worth the try! This is one of my go-to salad recipe now and I absolutely love it! It’s so fast and easy to make and they taste wonderful, super healthy and refreshing. Yum!