This Crunchy Chinese Chicken Salad with Ramen Noodles is full of crunchy texture from toasted almonds, ramen noodles, and a variety of greens. A homemade soy ginger dressing bursts with flavor that perfectly compliments the grilled chicken and Asian flair in this salad.
This classic Chinese chicken salad with top ramen noodles requires only a little prep to chop the vegetables and toast the crunchy stuff. I usually make it a day or two after I’ve grilled some chicken so that I can just toss leftover chicken into the bowl, making dinner preparation even easier!! The salad goes nicely with any grilled chicken recipe, as the soy sauce bases blend perfectly. Ratios for the ingredients depend completely on personal preference.
This is a family favorite in our house! We like to pair this with some of these main dishes Chinese General Tso Chicken Recipe, Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken Recipe or Panda Express Beef and Broccoli Copycat.
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🥗 Ingredients:
- Head of green cabbage – thinly sliced (or ½ green cabbage and ½ red cabbage AKA purple cabbage)
- Head of green or red lettuce – ½ head is enough, thinly sliced
- Fresh spinach leaves – sliced thinly
- Chives – green onions work great also
- Cilantro – adds that yummy sweet flavor
- Grilled chicken breast- chopped into bite size pieces
- Top Ramen noodles – uncooked ramen noodles for that extra crunch in each bite
- Sliced or slivered almonds
- Sesame seeds – adds to the Chinese flair in this salad (can substitute sunflower seeds too)
- VeVegetable oil/olive oil – for the base of the salad dressing
- Apple cider vinegar – helps round out the tangy asian dressing with the sour base
- Soy sauce – enhances the Asian flavors
- Honey – just that perfect sweetness to the dressing
- Herbs and spices – garlic cloves, black pepper, ground ginger
For a full list of ingredients and their measurements, 📋 please view my printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Substitutions and Variations
- You can also use a rotisserie chicken, shredded.
- Try these other veggie options: snap peas, snow peas, red bell pepper, bean sprouts, broccoli florets.
- If you don’t have apple cider vinegar handy, you can substitute rice vinegar.
- Mandarin oranges are a wonderful sweet fruit you can add to this just before serving.
- If you are short on time, you can purchase a coleslaw mix at the grocery store instead of the cabbage and lettuce.
🔪 Instructions:
Step 1: Smash Top Ramen noodles into small pieces in the packaging – open up, discard seasoning packet. Spread dry crunchy ramen noodles, almonds, and sesame seeds on a baking sheet. In a 350 degree oven, toast crushed ramen noodles/almonds/sesame seeds until lightly browned (approx. 5-8 minutes). Remove from oven immediately and transfer off of baking sheet to cool.
Step 2: Chop and toss all other ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add cooled crunchies.
Pro Tip: To save on time, consider putting all dressing ingredients into a Mason Jar and with the lid on tight, shake until well mixed. The left over dressing you can store in this exact container in the fridge.
Step 3: In a small bowl, prepare the tangy dressing by mixing all the ingredients with a whisk or in the blender and toss with salad.
GARNISH/SLICE/SERVE: Serve as a side dish to any Asian flair dishes or serve into a large bowl and eat as its own main dish!
History of the Chinese Chicken Salad
Chinese Chicken Salad was invented in the 1960s by chef Cecilia Chiang at her famous San Francisco restaurant, The Mandarin. Despite its name, the salad does not have Chinese origins but was created by Chinese-American chefs as a fusion dish combining American and Chinese flavors and ingredients. It typically consists of shredded chicken, crunchy vegetables, and crispy wonton strips tossed in a tangy, sesame ginger dressing.
Yes, its best stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
If you plan on making a big batch in advance to serve a lot of people, you can assemble the salad but omit the dressing and noodles until you are ready to serve.
Other Delicious Salad Recipes To Try
If you tried this Asian Chicken Salad with Ramen Noodles Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the 📝 comments below.
Chinese Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- ½ head cabbage
- ½ head green or red lettuce
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- ½ cup chives or green onions
- 1 cup cilantro
- 1 cup grilled chicken cubed
- 1 pkg. Top Ramen noodles seasoning packet discarded
- ½ cup slivered almonds
- ¼ cup sesame seeds
Soy Ginger Salad Dressing
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 2 cloves garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
Instructions
- Break noodles into small pieces. Place noodles, almonds, and sesame seeds on a small baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 5-8 minutes or until golden brown.
- Immediately transfer browned noodles, almonds, and seeds to salad bowl so that they do not overcook in the residual heat from the baking sheet.
- Rinse and chop all remaining salad ingredients into bite size pieces and toss with toasted ingredients in salad bowl.
- Whisk together all salad dressing ingredients.
- Dress and toss salad. Adjust the amount of salad dressing to taste.
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Notes
- You can also use a rotisserie chicken, shredded.
- Try these other veggie options: snap peas, bean sprouts, broccoli florets.
- If you don’t have apple cider vinegar handy, you can substitute rice vinegar.
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Christa says
This looks great! My favorite thing to eat is salads and this is one that you can make a meal out of on a hot summer day which is even better! I have toasted sesame seeds and slivered/sliced almonds before and I do it in a non-stick frying pan on the stove top, just heat to medium put them in, stir them around occasionally. Keep a close eye on them, when they start to brown they can easily burn so when they are just right remove them from the pan…..the residual heat will keep toasting those little suckers! That way you don’t have to heat up your oven! (I would probably toast them separately, the almonds would probably take a little longer) Can’t wait to try the salad…I love cilantro 🙂
Julia says
Stef, I am writing this one down to try. My Aunt makes a similar recipe and I adore it. Thanks so much for sharing!!
~Julia
kristin says
Mmmmm my mouth is watering. I love Chinese Chicken Salad. Thanks for the recipe and I can’t wait to see your big project!