Chinese Chicken Salad

With a rainbow medley of vegetables and fruits topped with crunchy toasted almonds and crispy wonton wrappers, this Chinese Chicken Salad recipe makes for a light yet satisfying Asian salad that's dressed with a flavorful ginger dressing.

Course Brunch, Salad

Cuisine Chinese-American

Keyword salad

Level Beginner

Main Ingredient Poultry

Diet Dairy-Free, Low-Fat

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 15

Total Time 35

Servings servings

Calories 515kcal

Author Marc Matsumoto

Ingredients

For Crunch

40 grams sliced almonds
6 wonton wrappers
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
pinch salt

For Dressing

2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
½ teaspoon hot mustard
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon orange juice (or syrup from mandarins)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon salt

For Chicken

4 cups water
1 tablespoon salt
250 grams chicken tenders

Salad Base

230 grams napa cabbage (shredded)
20 grams scallions (chopped)

Other Toppings

100 grams red cabbage (shredded)
130 grams canned mandarins (drained)
50 grams carrot (peeled and julienned)
30 grams cilantro (leaves picked from stems)

Grams + US Cups - US Standard

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350° F (180°C).
Spread the almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake them for about 5 minutes or until they're golden brown. Once they start browning, they will burn quickly, so keep a close eye on them.
40 grams sliced almonds
For the wontons, lay them out in a single layer on a cutting board and then brush both sides with the sesame oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
6 wonton wrappers, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, pinch salt
Use a sharp knife to cut the wontons into thin strips and place them on a baking sheet, twisting them to give them random shapes.
Bake the wontons for 5 minutes or until they're golden brown and crisp.
For the ginger dressing, mix the hoisin sauce and hot mustard to dissolve. Add the remaining dressing ingredients and whisk until the dressing is smooth and creamy.
2 teaspoons hoisin sauce, ½ teaspoon hot mustard, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon orange juice, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, 1 teaspoon grated ginger, 1 teaspoon salt
For the chicken, prepare a bowl of ice water.
Bring the water and salt to a boil in a pot with a lid over high heat. Add the chicken tenders and cover the pot with a lid. When the water returns to a boil, turn off the heat and let the chicken poach for 4-5 minutes or until it's cooked.
4 cups water, 1 tablespoon salt, 250 grams chicken tenders
When the chicken is cooked, transfer it to the ice water to stop the cooking.
Once the chicken has cooled down, remove it from the water and shred it with your hands by pulling away strips of chicken along the grain. Pour a tablespoon of the dressing on the chicken and toss to coat.
Prepare all of the vegetables for the salad. You can watch the video above on how to cut each vegetable.
To assemble the Chinese Chicken Salad, mound up the shredded Napa cabbage in the center of a large plate or salad bowl.
230 grams napa cabbage
Sprinkle on the scallions and toasted almonds.
20 grams scallions
Arrange the shredded chicken in two sections around the salad.
Add the carrots and mandarins in two sections on opposite sides of the plate.
50 grams carrot, 130 grams canned mandarins
Fill in the remaining sections with the red cabbage and cilantro.
100 grams red cabbage, 30 grams cilantro
Top the salad with the wontons and serve the salad with the remaining dressing on the side. Alternatively, you can toss the whole salad in a big bowl with the dressing and serve it pre-dressed, but the salad needs to be eaten right away if you do it this way.

Video

Nutrition