Asian-inspired
Asian Chicken Salad
Shredded cabbage holds sliced chicken, mandarin oranges, and almonds under a sesame-ginger dressing. The chicken is cooked to 165°F before it ever meets the salad.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 14 min
- Total
- 34 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Cabbage stays crisp longer than lettuce under a flavorful dressing.
- Mandarin and almond keep the bowl from being only savory.
- The dressing uses pantry soy, vinegar, and sesame oil.
- Cold leftovers still taste like a salad, not a wilted pile.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
If the chicken is frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator. Pat it dry. Do not rinse the chicken. Season with the salt and pepper.
- 2
Heat the neutral oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken 6 to 7 minutes per side, until the thickest part reads 165°F.
- 3
Rest 5 minutes, then slice the chicken thin.
- 4
Whisk the soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil, and ginger.
- 5
Toss the cabbage, carrots, and green onions with the dressing.
- 6
Top with the chicken, mandarin oranges, and almonds. Serve right away.
Pro tips
- Drain the oranges well. Extra syrup waters down the dressing.
- Toast the almonds in a dry skillet for a minute if they taste flat.
- Slice the chicken after it rests so the juices stay in the meat, not on the board.
Easy substitutions
- Mandarin oranges
- Shredded apple tossed with a little vinegar.
- Almonds
- Chopped roasted peanuts.
- Honey
- 1 tbsp brown sugar in the dressing.
Storage and reheating
Storage
Store the dressed cabbage and the chicken separately for up to 3 days. Add oranges and almonds when you serve.
Reheating
The salad is served cold. Reheat chicken separately to 165°F if you want it warm.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 374
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 24 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
Moderate · Stovetop · High Protein
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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