A delicious and healthy Chinese chicken salad that you can make in advance and refrigerate. I like to make a big batch and enjoy it over a few days.
I’m really enjoying this Chinese chicken salad lately. It is tasty, healthy and filling. It’s also very easy to make, and it uses up any leftover chicken you might have.
Of course, if you don’t have cooked chicken breast, you can make some. Here’s a good recipe for baked chicken breast.
Is this a healthy recipe?
To keep this Chinese chicken salad healthy, I use sesame oil and honey in the dressing, avoiding vegetable oil and brown sugar. Some recipes add canned mandarin oranges to this type of salad.
I prefer not to, simply because I’m not fond of fruit in savory salads. I also don’t add grapes to my creamy chicken salad.
You can definitely skip the crunchy noodles in this healthy Chinese chicken salad and keep it lower in carbs and gluten-free. The cabbage provides plenty of crunch. And if you’d like, you can add 1/4 cup of slivered almonds for an added crunch.
Despite the honey in the dressing, this Chinese chicken salad is low carb. A BIG bowl of it has only 9 grams of carbs. You could use a low carb honey substitute if you wish.
But real honey tastes so good, and the small amount used here is really worth it, in my opinion.
How to serve Chinese chicken salad?
This Chinese chicken salad makes an entire meal. It has chicken and vegetables and it’s very substantial and filling. It’s the perfect lunch, of course. But I also like to serve it for dinner, especially in 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.
Can you keep the leftovers?
Yes! You can keep them for 2-3 days in the fridge, in an airtight container. I like to make a big batch of this tasty salad and then enjoy it over the course of a few days.
One of the best things about this healthy Chinese chicken salad is that you can make it in advance and refrigerate. 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.
Chinese Chicken Salad
INGREDIENTS
- 3 large cooked chicken breasts (1.5 lb.)
- 1 (14 oz bag) pre-shredded coleslaw
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions, green part only (2 oz)
Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce (or use a gluten-free alternative and add salt as needed)
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
INSTRUCTIONS
- Use your hands to shred the chicken breasts. Place the chicken pieces in a very large mixing bowl.
- Add the coleslaw and the green onions and toss together.
- In a small jar, add the dressing ingredients. Shake well to mix. Pour over the salad and toss to coat (I use my hands to ensure everything is well-coated).
- Refrigerate 1 hour to allow flavors to meld.
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., has been following a healthy real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She has taken 
