A salad like this will easily set you back $20 a pound at a gourmet market. But hey, why spend when you can whip it up at home? (And honestly, homemade always tastes better, right?) This Asian Chicken Salad with Orange-Sesame Vinaigrette is fast, fresh and really, really satisfying.

😍 Why You’ll Love My Asian Chicken Salad

This salad packs some serious crunch because of all the fresh vegetables, it’s beautifully simple, and ideal for meal prepping or making ahead of time – with a base of hearty vegetables, it will keep for 4-5 days in the fridge – dressing and all!  It’s great way to use up leftover chicken but can be made vegan or vegetarian if you want it to be, and did I mention it’s gluten and dairy free?

🗒️ Ingredients

Green Cabbage – Cabbage is the base of this delicious salad and brings some serious crunch to the plate! Using cabbage as the base means it won’t go soggy once it’s dressed – this is what lets us prepare it ahead of time or as meal prep for the week ahead.

Carrots – Grated carrots are crisp but subtly soft, and have a slight sweetness that’s very refreshing!

Green Onions – Green onions, or scallions, give us a little bit of onion flavor without as much bite.

Orange – Not only do the juicy Orange segments provide some variety of texture to our salad, but they also bring sweetness and acidity, and of course a beautiful pop of color!

Cilantro – Cilantro is citrusy, herbal, and slightly peppery which makes it the perfect pairing for our orange-based vinaigrette!

Parsley – Parsley is clean, crisp and wonderfully refreshing.

Garlic – Garlic adds a bold and aromatic depth to our vinaigrette, offsetting the acidity of the vinegar and orange juice, and sweetness of the coconut aminos!

Sesame Oil – Rich and nutty, sesame oil is a staple of many asian cuisines. Its bold flavor is quick to overpower so remember a little goes a long way!

Coconut Aminos – Savoury and slightly sweet, coconut aminos bring a gentle umami richness to our dressing.

Rice Vinegar – The most subtle of the vinegars, Rice Vinegar has a subtle tanginess that brings out the brightness in other flavors and just a touch of sweetness.

👩‍🍳 How to Make My Asian Chicken Salad

🥣 In a large serving bowl, whisk all dressing ingredients to combine.  

🥬 To the dressing, add the cabbage and salt and toss it with the dressing.  

🥕 Add the carrots, green onions, and cooked chicken. Toss again to combine.

🍊 Gently stir in oranges, cilantro, parsley, roasted almonds, toasted sesame seeds and red pepper flakes.

🧂 Taste it and add more salt if it needs it.

🥳 Enjoy!

🎩 Tips and Tricks

• Reach for a mandolin to cut down on all the chopping – just be careful with your fingers!
• This is a one-bowl recipe, if you’re planning on storing it to eat later, do yourself a favor and construct your salad in the container you want to store it in!

🤲 Substitutions

The Hungry Lady Salad series started as a way to create simple, fulfilling meals that are no-fuss by nature – and that means leaving room for substitutions! Here are a few of my go-to swaps:

• If you don’t eat meat, simply leave the chicken out, or swap in some chickpeas for some protein.
• Salmon or shrimp would be a great protein here instead of the chicken too.
• Use drained, canned mandarin oranges if you’d prefer not to segment the fresh oranges.
• If you don’t eat nuts, just leave them out.  You get plenty of crunch from the fresh veggies.

📓 Best served with

• On its own, as a true meal-in-a-bowl Hungry Lady Salad!
• Crispy wontons or spring rolls would be a wonderful crunchy side.
• Blistered Edamame

👝 How to Store Leftovers

One of my favorite features of this salad is that it can be stored, dressing and all, for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. If you have a large enough air-tight container, you could go so far as to make and store it without having to create extra dishes!

🧠 Common Questions