Salty, sweet and savory, this Asian Ginger Chicken Salad is the perfect lunch or easy dinner. Filled with mandarin oranges, chow mein noodles, cashews, ginger marinated chicken and much more, this salad is filling and crave-worthy!
Craving salad for dinner? I love this Steak Cobb Salad or this Italian Chopped Salad. They are both hearty enough as a main dish – along with this Asian Chicken Salad!
You know you are an adult when… you actually want to eat that salad for dinner. But really – this salad. Not only is it easy on the eyes, but it packs so much flavor into something that is nice and healthy. I am a bit obsessed with Asian flavors, and sometimes I think I’m going to start making Asian versions of everything. Because the flavors are really just that good.
There is nothing boring about this salad. Really – I’ll take this Asian Ginger Chicken Salad and being an adult any day!
What You’ll Need
The marinade/dressing: I love that this recipe makes one sauce and uses it for the marinade for the chicken and for the dressing. You’ll mix together apple cider vinegar, vegetable oil, brown sugar, ginger, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Save some for the dressing, and the chicken gets marinated in the rest.
The chicken: I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts to keep it nice and lean. You could use chicken thighs for extra flavor, though, if you’d prefer. After marinating, it just gets cooked under the broiler.
The salad: And here is the fun part! I love when I can eat the rainbow, and this salad is just that. You start with a base of spinach, romaine, and red cabbage. Then add mandarin oranges, chow mein noodles, carrots, green onions, cashews and sesame seeds.
Tips and Tricks
- I like to use vegetable oil in the dressing because it is super neutral and doesn’t add a strong flavor. But feel free to switch this up to your preferred oil.
- This salad is super adaptable. You can add in ingredients that you like or take out ones that you don’t. There are no rules! I think some other great add ins would be edamame, bean sprouts, peppers, red onion or cilantro.
- Don’t add the dressing to the salad until you are ready to serve, as it will get soggy the longer it sits.
- If you’ve got picky ones in your family, you can set out all of the ingredients in individual bowls and have each person build their own salad.
More Asian Inspired Recipes
Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Asian Beef and Cabbage Salad
Thai Beef Salad
Kung Pao Chicken
Sweet Asian Chicken with Pineapple Rice
Asian Deviled Eggs
Spicy Noodles with Pork
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Asian Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons freshly minced or grated ginger
- 2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts skinless chicken breasts
- 4 oz fresh spinach chopped (about 5 cups)
- 5 oz fresh romaine chopped (about 5 cups)
- 11 oz can mandarin oranges drained
- 2 cups chow mein noodles
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage
- 2 medium carrots peeled and shredded
- 3 green onions sliced
- 3/4 cup salted cashews toasted
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds toasted
Instructions
- Combine the vinegar, oil, sugar, ginger, soy sauce, salt and pepper in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Pour 1/2 cup of the marinade into a large ziplock bag. Cover and refrigerate the remaining marinade.
- Cut each of the chicken breasts open width-wise, creating two thinner breast pieces from each breast. Place the chicken in the bag with the marinade and turn to coat. Place the bag in a larger bowl to prevent leaking, and refrigerate for 3 hours.
- Preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the chicken on the foil; discard the remaining marinade in the bag. Place the chicken 4-6 inches under the broiler to cook, about 4-6 minutes per side, until cooked through (internal temperature is 165ºF.) Cut the chicken into strips.
- In a large bowl, combine the spinach, romaine, oranges, chow mein noodles, cabbage, carrots and green onions. Top with the chicken, cashews and sesame seeds. Add the remaining marinade and toss to coat. Serve immediately.
Rach's Recipes says
Great recipe. Colorful, healthy, good acidity, and flavorful.
Rhiannon says
I decided to use the marinade as a regular salad dressing. I added a little extra brown sugar, sriracha, garlic, and slightly less ginger. Was very delicious.
Kristen says
I adore Asian inspired salads and am craving this one so hard right now! Looks delicious, Deb!