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Simply Delicious Asian Chicken Salad

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 A light and healthy Asian chicken salad. Simple, delicious, yum.

A light and healthy Asian chicken salad. Simple, delicious, yum. From BakingMischief.com

We’re in week two of our January salad series, (did you try last week’s Garlic Chicken Cobb Salad? It’s sooooo good!) and I’ve got to say, I have a good one for you today. This is the salad that taught me to appreciate a little sweetness with my greens.

Most of my life, every time I saw sweet dressing on a menu, I would ask the universe, WHY WOULD YOU PUT SUGAR ON YOUR LETTUCE?? Then I made this salad and it was a light bulb moment. Oh, because it’s delicious. That’s why.

A light and healthy Asian chicken salad. Simple, delicious, yum. From BakingMischief.com

Healthy (i.e., not smothered in delicious creamy dressings) salads can start to feel a little samey after a while, especially when we’re eating a lot of them. So it’s great to bring in different influences to mix things up.

This one has an Asian flair to it, made with soy sauce, mandarin oranges, fried chow mein noodles, and a sweet dressing made with toasted sesame oil.

See Also: Chicken Shawarma Salad

The toasted sesame oil gives the dressing a great, deep nutty umami flavor that makes it feel so distinct from your usual simple vinaigrette. And the ginger and garlic marinated chicken paired with the crunchy chow mein noodles and the plump burst of tart sweetness from the mandarins is AMAZING. Whenever I find myself growing tired of salads, I throw this one in the rotation to get me out of my funk!

A light and healthy Asian chicken salad. Simple, delicious, yum. From BakingMischief.com

As written, this Asian Chicken Salad recipe serves 4. To change the recipe yield, hover over the number of servings in the recipe below (or click if you are on mobile) and slide the slider–see recipe notes for further instructions.

 

Simply Delicious Asian Chicken Salad

A light and healthy Asian chicken salad. Simple, delicious, yum.
5 from 1 vote
Print
Course: Dinner
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings (Hover or Click to Change Yield): 4
Calories: 349kcal
Author: Tracy

Ingredients

Marinade

  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil*
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Salad

  • 1 pound (about 2 small) boneless skinless chicken breasts pounded thin
  • 1 large head romaine chopped
  • 1 11-ounce can mandarin oranges drained
  • 1 cup (2oz) fried chow mein noodles

Dressing

  • 1/2 cup rice vinegar*
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Marinade

  • Combine marinade ingredients in a large ziplock bag and give it a shake. Add chicken and marinate at room temperature for 10 to 30 minutes.

Dressing

  • While the chicken is marinating, bring vinegar to boil in a small pot. Once the vinegar is boiling, remove from heat and add the sugar, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the rest of the dressing ingredients and pour into a mason jar. Shake to combine. Set aside to cool.

Salad

  • Heat a large pan over medium-high heat and grease with cooking spray. Add chicken to the pan and cook 5-8 minutes per side, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the breasts reads 160°F. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing into strips.
  • Serve chicken over romaine, topped with mandarin oranges, chow mein noodles, and dressing. Enjoy!

Notes

*Toasted sesame oil is a popular ingredient in many Asian dishes and if you don't keep it in your cupboard, the good news is, it's cheap! Like $3-a-bottle-that-will-last-you-forever cheap. If you have regular sesame oil, you can toast the oil yourself or use it as is. It will lack the distinct flavor of the toasted variety, but is still delicious!
*You can substitute apple cider vinegar for the rice vinegar. In a pinch, you can use white vinegar, but your dressing is going to have much more of a bite to it! This dressing makes enough for six 2-tablespoon servings.
Small-yield Instructions: No cooking or preparation changes needed to cut the recipe in half. For the marinade, half of 3 tablespoons is 1 tablespoon, 1 1/2 teaspoons, and for the dressing, just use a pinch of pepper.
Make-ahead Instructions: Chicken can be prepared up to two days in advance, as can the romaine, but it will lose some of its crispness. Dressing will keep in the refrigerator for two weeks. Salad should be assembled day of and chow mein noodles added just before serving to preserve their crunchiness.
Freezer Instructions: Extra chicken can be frozen in an air-tight container for up to 4 months. Allow to defrost in the refrigerator. Fruit and vegetables with high water content like mandarins and lettuce shouldn’t be frozen for salads, BUT freeze just fine for later use in smoothies.
Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Tag @BakingMischief or hashtag it #BakingMischief.

Nutritional Information (salad only, no dressing)
Nutritional Information (dressing, per 2-tablespoon serving)
Adapted From: Iowa Girl Eats

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using them. There is absolutely no additional cost to you.

A light and healthy Asian chicken salad. Simple, delicious, yum. From BakingMischief.com

Comments

  1. Dena Taylor says

    Gonna try this today … I’m so over eating plain ol’ Instant Potted chicken thighs for my diet. I can’t wait to introduce some “flavors!” I’m also going to try the Schwarma salad too!!

    YUM!!

    Reply

  2. Marjorie Rhyno says

    I couldn’t find toasted sesame oil any where but you said you could toast it yourself? Is there any special instructions? Thank you.

    Reply

    • Tracy says

      Hi, Marjorie. If you haven’t already, try looking for it in the ethnic foods aisle. That’s where I always find it here in SoCal. And if you want to try toasting it at home, here’s a good tutorial: https://www.wikihow.com/Toast-Sesame-Oil Home-toasted oil isn’t nearly as pungent and strong as store-bought, but I’ve used it before and it still makes a really good salad.

      Reply

      • Marjorie Rhyno says

        Thanks so much. I looked in Walmart and No Frills here in Alberta, but nothing. I’ll check out the tutorial. Thanks for the quick answer. 🙂

  3. Amanda says

    This reminds me of a salad my mom used to make when I was little. I’ll have to make a few adjustments to make it gluten-free (I have celiac) but I can’t wait to try it!

    Reply
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