This Chinese Chicken Salad is crunchy, light and so delicious! It’s packed with crunchy carrots, almonds, shredded chicken, sliced peas and juicy chunks of orange. This salad takes less than 30 minutes to make and leftovers will last for up to 3 days in the fridge. This salad is Whole30, Paleo, Dairy Free, Grain Free, Gluten Free, and Specific Carbohydrate Diet Legal.
By the end of January, a lot of people’s dedication to eating healthy begins to waver after a month of the same healthy salads over and over. Well fear not, I have a new delicious salad to add to your healthy eating roster that’s not only packed full of flavour but also incredibly simple to make.
So what’s in my healthy version of a Chinese Chicken Salad? Juicy chunks of mandarin oranges, crisp slices of snow peas, crunchy flaked almonds, spicy green onions, thin slices of red onion, matchstick sized pieces of carrots and lots of shredded chicken, all tossed in a bed napa cabbage and served with a slightly sweet orange and ginger dressing. This is one very delicious salad that will have your taste buds dancing with joy.
To keep things as simple as possible I recommend using a precooked chicken. I had a leftover cooked chicken breast from the night before that I shredded, but you can also use a store bought rotisserie chicken (no one will judge you for cutting a few corners I promise!).
I am a big fan of napa cabbage (often also referred to as Chinese cabbage). It’s a cross between lettuce and green cabbage with more substance then romaine, but less dense and crunchy then green cabbage.
Here are a few other chicken salad recipes that you might enjoy:
- Thai Chicken Larb Salad
- Vietnamese Chicken Salad
- Crispy Chicken Caesar Salad with Tahini Dressing
- Chicken Fajita Salad
- Tandoori Chicken & Grilled Peach Salad
- Chicken & Pomelo Salad
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Chinese Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded chicken
- 3 cups shredded napa cabbage
- 1/2 red onion cut into thin slices
- 1 carrot cut into matchsticks
- 1/2 cup snow peas
- 1/3 green onions thinly sliced
- 1 mandarin orange
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 1/2 tbsp white sesame seeds
- 1/3 cup flaked almonds toasted
Dressing
- 1 tbsp orange juice
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp coconut aminos (or tamari/soy sauce)
- 1 tsp honey (omit for Whole30)
- 2 tsp white wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
Instructions
- In a bowl whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing, set aside.
- Wash the snow peas and cut them diagonally into thin slices. Peel the mandarin orange, remove as much of the white pith as possible and cut each segment into thirds.
- In a large salad bowl combine the napa cabbage, shredded chicken, red onion, sliced carrots, snow peas, green onions, chopped coriander and sesame seeds. Toss with the salad dressing and sprinkle with the flaked almonds before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a comment below and let us know how it was!
Delicious. I love finding healthy, flavorful meals like this that don’t feel like I’m eating “diet food”.
So easy to make and really really tasty, no need to buy a pre made salad for a midweek healthy dinner.
This is a real winner, I doubled the amounts and am eating it all the time! Look forward to more great recipes
I was recently diagnosed with Lyme’s, Babesia, Leaky gut, and Adrenal Fatigue. I am early in my journey towards health, but not so early that I haven’t bored my tastebuds with my personally crafted SCD meals. I came across your website two nights ago and have already made 2 recipes. This will be the third! A question, though: can I substitute another oil for canola? I only ask because I don’t have it on hand. Will olive ruin the flavor palette?
I’m so sorry to hear about your recent diagnosis. Using an alternative oil such as vegetable or olive oil shouldn’t make a big difference, the only oil that will likely have too strong a flavour is extra virgin olive oil. I hope you are enjoying the recipes!