Chinese chicken salad… it’s fun, full of bright and flavorful ingredients, and with this recipe, it’s also great for you and super easy to make!
I’ve been eating Chinese chicken salad since I was a kid. When I was young, late nights were often spent on the beach with my family, and on our walk home, we would stop by the restaurant down the street from our house and order Chinese Chicken Salad for everyone. I especially loved the tart dressing with moist chicken and the sweet almond crunch!
My love for this simple yet super satisfying salad inspired me to try and create a recipe that was just as tasty, but also healthy enough to fit into my everyday routine, and I believe I’ve done just that!
This Chinese chicken salad recipe tastes absolutely amazing, but is also gluten free, dairy free, low carb, low sugar, and Paleo-friendly… with a delicious homemade gluten free salad dressing to match! (the dressing is also dairy free, low carb, low sugar, and Paleo of course)
Oh! And if you’re looking for another salad to try, our roasted grape fall salad is truly fantastic! We also have an amazing recipe for green goddess salad dressing that is gluten free and vegan-friendly to pair with your favorite salads!
Making our Chinese Chicken Salad and Dressing…
Watch our HD video recipe here, or scroll down for the full recipe.
This salad is seriously such a breeze to throw together, and buying a pre-made rotisserie chicken from your favorite grocer and pre-chopped/shredded veggies makes it almost like you did nothing at all! AND If you happen to have some leftover roasted or grilled chicken sitting around in your fridge from last nights meal, you’ve just found the perfect use!
BONUS… I’ve even tried it with chickpeas or tempeh as my protein instead of chicken, and it’s just as tasty! So all you non-meat eaters out there rejoice, you can totally enjoy this recipe too and not miss out on any deliciousness!
Our recipe is perfect for a light lunch or dinner for 1 or 2 people, and can easily be doubled or tripled for the whole family! (kids love this salad) Either way, our tip is to definitely prep extra salad ingredients just in case guests show up or you want leftovers for the week.
For The Salad
- 1 head romaine lettuce, or napa, green cabbage or a combination (about 2 cups chopped)
- 1 cup radicchio, shredded
- 1 cup chicken, chopped or shredded (we used pre-cooked rotisserie chicken)
- ½ cup carrots, shredded or chopped
- ½ cup green onions, diced
For The Dressing
- ¼ cup sunflower oil
- ¼ cup wheat-free Tamari soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Sesame oil
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (make sure to get ACV with the “Mother,” as it’s full of wonderful benefits)
- 1-2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp Ginger, grated or finely chopped
- 1 Garlic clove, minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- Assemble all your salad ingredients in a large bowl except the limes. Set aside.
- Mix all dressing ingredients in a bowl with only 1 tablespoon of coconut sugar. After thoroughly combined, taste and adjust sweetness accordingly.
- Dress salad to taste and plate with limes.
As always, feel free to tailor this recipe to your own preferences. For example, we used pre-made rotisserie chicken here, but using grilled chicken or even a meat alternative protein like tofu, chickpeas or tempeh works great in this salad too! Make it your own!
If you’re unsure of what wheat-free tamari is or don’t know which brand to get, we really love this one. Also, when picking your sesame oil, keep in mind that there is toasted and untoasted (“regular”). If you’re looking for just a kiss of that sesame flavor, buy the lighter untoasted sesame oil that is typically labeled as just sesame oil. If you want a deeper, richer flavor, buy toasted sesame oil.
The dressing we put together for this recipe is amazing, but if you’d like to try something different, our friends over at Smitten Kitchen make a fabulous carrot-ginger gluten-free dressing that would pair perfectly with this salad as well!
If you’ve been looking to shake up your salad game lately, this recipe will definitely do the trick! Give it a shot and let us know how it went in the comments! 🙂
And if you really want to spice things up, we recommend our easy to make taco salad or Mexican burritos bowls and a tall glass of our homemade dairy-free horchata to make it a meal to remember!