Chinese Chicken Salad Recipe
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This Chinese chicken salad recipe is a full meal all by itself! Filled with fresh ingredients like carrots, ginger, and green onions, it’s packed with flavor and good-for-you nutrients. Plus, it’s just darn yummy!
CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD WITH RAMEN
I know that Chinese chicken salad usually has those won-ton strips in it. But since those are definitely not clean or healthy, and I haven’t figured out how to make them clean or healthy, I used whole-grain ramen noodles instead. And man, was it good! Kind of like, Chinese chicken salad meets ramen noodle salad. So delicious!
HEALTHY CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD
The word “healthy” can be subjective. While this blog focuses on clean eating, I think most folks would also consider my recipes “healthy.” One of my favorite things to do is take “unhealthy” classics and make them healthier or “clean.”
Regular Chinese chicken salad has a few issues. There is always the possibility of it containing MSG. It has lots of processed sugar and tons of sodium, and the veggies are rarely truly fresh. And let’s face it, if you buy it in a restaurant, the ingredient list for the dressing alone can be a mile long and filled with chemicals and preservatives.
So how do you make it healthier?
- Use fresh (or even organic) produce and chicken.
- Get whole-grain ramen noodles.
- Make the dressing at home with ingredients you recognize.
- Use unprocessed sweeteners
- Choose healthy oils for cooking
HOW TO MAKE THIS SALAD
This salad is all about making the different components of the salad and then bringing them all together in one bowl. It’s not difficult or complicated, you just have to juggle a few things at once. Based on how you want to cook your chicken, I recommend that you start that first. You can even marinate the chicken the night before. But get that chicken started, and then move on to the ramen noodles. They cook up quickly but need some time to cool off. You can deal with the actual produce once you have those two things going.
HEALTHY SALAD RECIPES:
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CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD RECIPE CARD
Chinese Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Chicken
Ramen Noodles
- 2 squares whole grain ramen noodles (broken into small pieces)
- 2 tbsp. oil
- 1 tbsp. sesame seeds
Salad
- 9 cups finely sliced or shredded green cabbage
- 1 cup finely grated carrots (packed tight for measuring)
- 1 cup roasted slivered almonds
- 1 cup sliced green onions (both greens and whites)
- 2 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds + extra for garnish
Dressing/Marinade
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup sesame oil
- 1 tbsp. freshly grated ginger
Final Flavorings
- Salt to taste as needed once the salad is finished.
- 1½ lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (3 breasts)
- ½ cup dressing/marinade
Instructions
Chicken
- Marinate your chicken in the dressing for at least an hour. Overnight is best, but in a pinch, you can get away with an hour.
- I barbecued my marinated chicken for faster cooking. But you can bake it in the oven as well. Whatever you want to do to get it fully cooked.
- When cooked, slice or chop and set aside until you're ready to toss it into the salad.
Ramen Noodles
- In a skillet, combine the oil and noodles and turn the heat on high.
- Stir the noodles constantly for about 5-8 minutes. The noodles will puff up.
- Once they are puffed, stir in the sesame seeds and toss for a minute more.
- Remove the pan from the heat and let cool completely while you make everything else.
Salad
- Prep all the salad ingredients and toss them together in a large mixing bowl.
Dressing
- Whisk together all the dressing ingredients.
- Reserve just enough to give the chicken some marinade (about ½ a cup for two chicken breasts)