I like to make a big batch and enjoy it over a few days. It’s perfect for lunch or as a light weeknight dinner. This salad is so good! The dressing, based on sesame oil and soy sauce with a hint of garlic and ginger, is phenomenal. I also love the crunch that the shredded cabbage provides. I love main-dish salads you can make ahead of time, such as taco salad, Thai chicken salad, chicken Cobb salad, and turkey salad. Indeed, one of the advantages of this Chinese chicken salad is that you make it in advance. When I anticipate a busy week, I make a big batch on Sunday and have ready-made meals for several days.
Ingredients
Recipe Card
For the Salad:
Shredded cooked chicken: I use pre-cooked chicken breasts. You can use baked chicken breast, grilled chicken breast, poached chicken, or broiled chicken breast. You can also use rotisserie chicken. Just make sure to remove the skin. Shredded green cabbage: Adds a wonderful crunch to the salad. To make life easy, I often use a bag of coleslaw mix that includes shredded carrots, red cabbage, and green cabbage. Sliced green onions: I only use the green parts. They add color and flavor. Mix them into the salad or sprinkle them on top for a pretty presentation.
In a large bowl, toss together the shredded chicken, shredded cabbage, and sliced green onions (or reserve the green onions and sprinkle them on top of the salad after it’s ready). In a small bowl or jar, mix the dressing ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for one hour to allow the flavor to meld. Toss again before serving. In fact, it tastes better as the flavors are allowed to meld, so it’s best to make it a few hours before you plan on serving it. Of course, it’s the perfect lunch. But I also like serving it for dinner, especially in the summer when I don’t feel like cooking. There’s no need to serve this salad with sides. Just serve a bowl of it for a tasty, satisfying meal. It goes perfectly with a refreshing glass of cucumber water!
