Asian Chicken Salad has grilled Teriyaki chicken, bright honey sesame dressing and crunchy ramen noodles! This recipe is the healthy dinner salad glow-up you need.
I love this salad because it is so fresh and flavorful. There are so many incredible flavor combinations in Asian cooking and this recipe is no different with sticky teriyaki sauce, a punch of sesame and an optional peanut sauce drizzle. For the dressing, sesame oil, vinegar, honey and ginger result in a bright, nutty vinaigrette. Mouth is watering all over again.
“Salt” Cabbage with Honey Sesame Dressing
An important step in the recipe is allowing the cabbage time to “salt” or macerate. Once you toss the cabbage in the honey sesame dressing, taste for salt and add a pinch as necessary. Then, set aside while preparing the rest of the dish. This will give the salt time to pull some of the water out. Because the texture of cabbage is tough, this helps to soften it a bit while maintaining the crunch.
Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
The key to grilling chicken for a salad is to slice a large breast so that you have two thinner filets. It cuts cook time and keeps the outside from drying out. In this recipe, the chicken is marinated for at least 2 hours in teriyaki sauce. I cooked my chicken in a grill pan on the stove but you can also cook directly on a gas or charcoal grill. Once the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, pull off the heat and brush with additional teriyaki sauce. Be sure to use fresh sauce so you do not contaminate the meat.
Plating Asian Chicken Salad
I like the look of layering all the salad components over the top of the cabbage. All the bright colors are appealing to the eye and to the stomach. When it’s time to plate, toss all the ingredients and serve in large shallow bowls. Then, slice chicken and fan over the top of the salad. You can serve as is or drizzle Thai Peanut Sauce over top (I used a store bought sauce by ThaiFusions that I found at Fresh Market). Finally, black sesame seeds and green onions add a nice pop of color over the chicken.
The full recipe for this Asian Chicken Salad with Honey Sesame Dressing is included below. If you like this dish, check out my Seasonal Pear Walnut Salad. Be sure to follow me on Instagram @bluecheesebungalow for more tips, easy recipes and glimpses behind the scenes.
Asian Chicken Salad with Honey Sesame Dressing
Asian Chicken Salad has grilled Teriyaki chicken, bright honey sesame dressing and crunchy ramen noodles! This recipe is the healthy dinner salad glow-up you need.
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts (sliced in half so you have 4 filets)
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
- 1 small head of green cabbage (sliced into bite sized strips)
- 1 small head of red cabbage (sliced into bite sized strips)
- 1 package of ramen noodles, crushed (discard seasoning packet)
- 15 ounce can mandarin oranges (discard juice)
- ½ cup matchstick carrots
- 1/3 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
Honey Sesame Dressing
- ½ cup light olive oil
- ½ cup rice wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey (add more or less to taste)
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt (add more to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Optional Toppings
- Thai peanut sauce to top chicken
- Black sesame seeds
- Additional green onions
Instructions
- 1. 2 hours prior to making the salad, add chicken filets and ½ cup teriyaki sauce to a large zip top bag). Place in the fridge to marinate until you are ready to grill.
- 2. Chop all vegetables according to ingredient list.
- 3. Prepare the honey sesame dressing by combining all dressing ingredients in a small bowl or bottle. Stir or shake well to combine.
- 4. In a large bowl, toss red and green cabbage with honey sesame dressing. Taste and add salt as necessary. Side aside and toss occasionally while preparing the rest of the dish.
- 5. To cook chicken, grill over medium-high heat for approximately 6 minutes per side until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Once chicken is cooked, pull off the grill and spoon additional teriyaki sauce over the top. Set aside to rest while you assemble the salad.
- 6. In a large salad bowl, layer dressed cabbage and top with crushed ramen noodles, oranges, carrots, green onion, cilantro and almonds.
- 7. When you are ready to serve, toss salad to combine and plate individually with sliced chicken over top. Optional: Drizzle with Thai Peanut Sauce and a sprinkle of black sesame seeds.
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