Chinese Chicken Salad
This Chinese Chicken Salad is packed with fresh produce, and it’s a fun recipe to mix up weekday lunches!
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I’ve always been a bit behind the times when it comes to tv shows and movies. Don’t get me wrong. I love a good tv show, and Laura and I usually unwind at night with a show after Robbie goes to bed. Movies? Well those are pretty rare around here. Again, I love a good movie, but I think I can count on one hand the number of movies we’ve watched since Robbie was born. The idea of a movie and a glass of whiskey on a Friday night sounds amazing…until about halfway through the movie when all I can think about is my pillow upstairs.
But back to my original point. Aside from Game of Thrones and Stranger Things, we rarely watch shows when they are actual popular. In fact, we watched The Sopranos a good 10 years after the show ended. And then we moved onto Breaking Bad…only 2 years after the show ended. Our current obsession is Arrested Development, a show that ended in 2006. How did I manage to wait so long on Arrested Development? The humor is right up my alley! To be fair, we’ve been alternating between Black Mirror on Netflix and Arrested Development. Black Mirror is a great show that explores where technology could take us in the not-so-distant future, but some of the episodes are a bit deep.
But I now have a confession to make. I’ve never seen any of the Star Wars movies. Zero. Zilch. Nada. It’s purely because I never saw the first one, and so I avoided watching each one after that. Well, I still haven’t seen the first one, and now there are nine movies in the Star Wars franchise…with nine or ten more in the works over the next decade! I clearly need to mark off an entire weekend and just get caught up. Whenever a new Star Wars movie comes out, I’m the one standing there with a blank look on my face. The irony of this whole thing is that I’m pretty sure I would love the series…if I ever managed to just sit down and watch the first one!
Chinese Chicken Salad
Confession time over. Well, sorta. I’m switching gears to food and confessing that I didn’t like this Chinese Chicken Salad when I first tasted it about 10 years ago. (There were only 7 Star Wars movies back then.) One of Laura’s favorite lunch spots back when we lived in Atlanta was Souper Jenny, a tiny restaurant in the middle of Buckhead. (Apparently there are now 4 locations around Atlanta…and I totally understand why!) The menu is packed with delicious soups, salads and sandwiches, and we’d often stop by for lunch when we were out doing weekend errands. And this Chinese Chicken Salad was one of Laura’s favorites. I wasn’t a huge fan of Asian flavors back then, but I’m starting to get a little more on board with the sweet and savory combination.
This Chinese Chicken Salad recipe is based off the one from Souper Jenny, and I must admit that I’m a big fan now! It’s good that I like this one as the recipe makes a lot (a lot) of Chinese Chicken Salad. I scaled the recipe so that it uses the entire heads of Napa and red cabbage. I don’t like to waste food, so I wanted to use it all. But do you realize how much sliced cabbage you get from what seems like a small head? Hint: It’s a lot. But that’s ok. I now make this recipe on a weekend, and then we eat it for lunch for the week. Nice and easy. Feel free to scale the recipe back, though…or just invite your friends over to watch Star Wars and eat Chinese Chicken Salad. Enjoy!
Looking for more lunch ideas? Check out these other recipes, too!
Thai Peanut Wraps
Crispy Chicken Bacon Ranch Wraps
Italian Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Mandarin Beet Salad w/ Poppyseed Dressing
Honey Mustard Chicken Salad
Chinese Chicken Salad
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- 4 ” piece of ginger peeled and minced
- 2 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1½ cups sweet chili sauce
For the Salad
- 4 cups cooked chicken or 1 rotisserie chicken (meat removed)
- 4 various colored bell peppers sliced into thin strips
- 1 small Napa cabbage shredded
- 1 small red cabbage shredded
- 1 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 cup green onions chopped
- 6 medium carrots peeled and shredded
- 3 medium cucumbers halved and sliced
- 2 cups fresh corn
- 1 cup slivered almonds lightly toasted
- 1 cup chow mein or rice noodles
Instructions
For the Salad
- Using a very large bowl, add all ingredients except for almonds and chow mein noodles; toss until well combined.
- Using a small skillet, add almonds and place over medium-high heat. Cook in a dry skillet, tossing often, for 2-3 minutes, or until you can smell the almonds. Remove from heat, let cool and add to salad.
- Before serving, add desired amount of dressing and toss until well coated. Top salad with chow mein noodles right before serving. (Note: If you add chow mein or rice noodles too early, they will become soggy.)
Notes
David, you aren’t kidding about the amount of cabbage a small cabbage head turns into when sliced! I brought home the smallest red and green cabbage heads I could find and had enough for 2 salads that ended up lasting us about 4 days each! Now I understand why my folks used to say that cabbage is one of the most budget friendly options around! And speaking of cabbage, this is my kinda eats right here! Souper Jenny’s sounds “souper” (love their play on words like “Lettuce Souprise You”) but, I don’t think I’ll be paying them a visit cos I’d rather make this at home and enjoy it for days!
BTW – Lil S and I are the same way with shows – we watched Friday Night Lights way way after it was off air – and we just finished Dexter! GAH! Now I have Black Mirror to add to our list! Dude – hoping you, Laura and lil Robbie have one heck of an awesome weekend!
Tell me about it, Shashi! Sliced cabbage lasts for days…and days…and days! But when you combine all of the other ingredients for this Chinese Chicken Salad, then it makes for some pretty epic lunches. 🙂 We’ve been talking about adding Dexter to our show watching list. Fortunately, the Fall means some of our favorites will be back on. Definitely check out Black Mirror, although know it’s a little deep and disturbing…but good. I know that doesn’t make sense, but you’ll know what I mean when you watch it! Hope you and Lil S had a great weekend!!
I have to check out Arrested Development and Black Mirror on Netflix. Your salad looks great, I have to try it.
Thanks so much, Gerlinde! This salad really is quite tasty, and it makes a lot…so it’s perfect for prepping weekday lunches on a Sunday afternoon. And, yes, take a look at Arrested Development and Black Mirror. Arrested Development is a comedy with a quirky sense of humor, but it’s right up my alley. Black Mirror is definitely not a comedy, and it can be somewhat disturbing…but it’s also really good. You’ll know what I mean when you watch it. Cheers, my friend!
We are absolutely secret siblings. I’ve never seen any of the original Star Wars; I saw one of the prequels because my sister dragged me to the theater saying “don’t be one of those people who won’t watch good movies. . .” And honestly, you’re not missing much. (Sorry SW fans.) I still haven’t seen GoT or Stranger Things. Or the Sopranos. Maybe someday? Anyway, I love how light and fresh this salad sounds! Happy Friday!
Hahaha…love it! I’m laughing that you basically called your sister out here. But then again, that’s what sisters are for, right? 🙂 Maybe I’ll get around to Star Wars eventually. But in the meantime, definitely put GoT on your list. Holy crap is that one good!! And this salad makes enough to keep you going through a binge of the entire GoT series. Haha! Thanks, Kelsie!
Chinese Chicken Salad has always been one of my favorites to order whenever I see it on a menu. I love all the different veggies, the crunch factor and the dressing. Looks like you’ve made a winner. When I come to your house for dinner, I’ll request this 😉
You know, I think you nailed why I like this salad so much…all of the different textures. Sure, the colors are fun, too, but I’ve always been a texture guy. And I’ll make sure to always keep some of this one in the fridge for when you stop by and order it. Haha! Hope you had a great weekend, Kathy! 🙂
I’m so glad I’m not the only one who is behind with TV series. I blame my husband for not having cable at home. But this Chinese chicken salad won my heart already. I love a good salad like this, especially in the Summer. So fresh and colorful, and I often add cheese croutons too.
We have cable at home, and we’re still behind on tv series! And honestly we watch more Netflix than cable. If it wasn’t for my darn sports, I’d drop cable entirely! Ooo…cheese croutons? That would make an excellent addition to this salad, Linda. I like the way you think! 🙂 Hope you had a great weekend, my friend!
The dressing alone sounds really interesting: ginger, peanut butter, and chili sauce? Yes, please! You didn’t mention anything about Star Trek in your post. Please tell me you’ve seen those, because if you have, well then who cares if you’ve seen Star Wars? 🙂
Ah, you’re right. No Star Trek here either, Jeff. I know I’ve supremely disappointed you. No Battlestar Galactica either. I’ve got my work cut out for me! But at least this salad dressing is delicious! 🙂
I watched Arrested Development only in 2015 or so myself (But you’ve won this prize anyway). Indeed, we love those shows that have already been cancelled. First, it’s hard to wait until the new season, especially if it’s a catchy show. Secondly (and most importantly), by the time the show returns from a break, we just don’t remember what was happening before. So with a few exceptions, we prefer some old stuff 🙂 And this salad? Yes please. I recently remembered an Asian-inspired salad which I made many years ago, with cold soba noodles, cucumber, soy sauce, and sesame oil, but I just didn’t have any space to make it (too much of ice cream snd melons haha). Delicious David!
Ok, phew, I was worried I was the only one who arrived to the Arrested Development party late. That show is so good! Have you watched any of the new episodes yet? And you make a good point about watching shows that have already ended…that way I can watch them at my own pace!
As far as that salad you just described, it sounds amazing. I’ve been on a big Asian salad kick lately. Perfect for weekday lunches! Thanks so much, Ben!
Sounds like we’re in the same boat when it comes to TV series… Heck, I still watch I Love Lucy re-runs… and I actually haven’t watched Arrested Development yet and now you’ve got me curious. (I’m staying away from Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones, though. I’m really squeamish about violence.)
Chicken Salad looks great. I’m a big fan of Bang Bang Chicken so this is right up my alley.
I totally understand about the violence and squeamish thing, Frank. But you can definitely put Arrested Development on the list. It’s got a quirky sense of humor, but I love it! Reminds me a little bit of The Office if you ever watched that…but different setting, of course.
Bang Bang Chicken is another favorite! Now I’m craving that one…haha.
A beautiful salad. I love some peanuts/butter in dressing like yours. Funny you mentioned Arrested Development – I just started with season 1 a few weeks ago. I knew it was good, but it somehow didn’t work with whatever was going on in my life, which wasn’t kids, as they’re now 35 and 32! We always say that we completely missed the 80’s cause of kids. shows, music, you name it!
Hah! So I’m not the only one then. I hope you’re enjoying catching up on Arrested Development as much as we are, Mimi. It’s a good show…although we’re in Season 4 now, and we’re a little disappointed with the new episodes. I wish they hadn’t cancelled it way back when! Oh well. And thanks for the kind words about this salad. It’s a tasty one for sure!
David, I love love love Chinese Chicken Salad! And this dressing recipe has all of my favorites, I mean peanut butter and sweeet chili sauce, how great is that? Thanks for the recipe! And, I think we have similar tastes in shows I totllay loved Breaking Bad! My current obsession is “The Sinner”. Season 2 just started, but Season 1 is a must-see! Oh, and Stranger Things. Oooh.
This dressing is so tasty, Laura! We’ve even made this dressing and just used it with lettuce for a simple side salad. Of course, it’s better with all of the other salad ingredients, but I’m not complaining! So The Sinner, eh? I haven’t heard of that one. I’ll have to look it up. Thanks for the recommendation!
I’m terrible at keeping up with TV. Too busy on everything else you know? I mean I only just recently started “Outlander”. Lynne RAVED about it when it came out. NOW I’m interested in it and enjoying it. LOL. I’ve enjoyed chinese food for many years but do you know what? I’ve never had a chinese chicken salad before. This I have to fix!
Oh I totally know what you mean about keeping up with tv shows. We only watch a little bit each night after Robbie goes down…which is probably why we’re so far behind! But I’m ok with it. I just get to hear suggestions from everyone else. 🙂 We did watch the first season of Outlander, and that was awesome! But we didn’t pick it back up in Season 2. Let me know if it’s worth watching?
I can’t believe that you didn’t like this salad years ago. It sounds so yummy. I think it could be my favorite salad.
You’re right, Dawn! I can’t believe it either…but I have seen the light now. All of the textures and flavors going on in this salad make it delicious! 🙂
This is a beautiful salad, and I could drink that dressing! (Love Stranger Things!)
Haha! I’m not sure I’d go so far as drinking this dressing, but I’m close. That might be a fun challenge, though! 🙂 Thanks so much, Valentina!