The secret to this Chinese Chicken Salad is the dressing and the crunchy ramen topping. A colorful mixture of flavor and texture tossed together with a sweet and tangy dressing is perfect for meal prep or an on-the-go lunch.

This is the season for quick, healthy, and light lunches and dinners. This Easy Orange Pomegranate Salad, Strawberry Spinach Salad, and Grilled Cajun Chicken Salad are also some of my favorite go-to’s!

Chinese chicken salad with dressing and ramen topping in a bowl

You guys know that I’m not crazy about salad. However, when I find a salad recipe that is healthy and is pretty much acts as comfort food, then I’m all in! And let me tell you, this Chinese Chicken Salad recipe will do the trick!

It starts with a plethora of texture and flavorful. It’s made with cabbage, carrots, snap peas, edamame, green onion, cilantro, mandarin oranges, topped with a sesame ramen crunchy topping, and then drizzled with a delicious sesame dressing.

Let me go ahead and emphasize that this Chinese Chicken Salad Dressing recipe is to die for! It is the most amazing addition to this salad and the combination of flavors is something that you will probably be making regularly.

This is a fantastic recipe for meal prep and lunches on the go. You can layer all the ingredients into a Tupperware or mason jar and place the dressing in a plastic bag or small plastic cup. When you’re ready to enjoy, simply pour the dressing into the jar or bowl, seal it, shake it up, and dig in!

Table of Contents

What you’ll need

for the chicken:

chicken breasts
soy sauce
hoisin sauce
sesame oil
freshly ground black pepper

for the salad:

ramen noodles, broken into pieces
slivered almonds
sesame seeds
napa cabbage
grated carrot
snap peas or snow peas
shelled edamame
green onion
fresh cilantro
mandarin oranges

for the dressing:

olive oil
honey
rice wine vinegar
hoisin sauce
soy sauce
sesame oil
freshly grated ginger
minced garlic
black pepper
kosher salt

Raw chicken marinating in airtight container

How to Make Chinese Chicken Salad

Marinate the chicken. I like to throw the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, and pepper, in a sealable bag or container with the chicken and squish it around so that it is covering the chicken. I let this marinate for about 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
Bake the chicken. Then I bake the chicken in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees F. Once it is done, I place it on a cutting board and slice it into strips.

Make the topping. Place the broken up ramen noodles, sesame seeds, and almonds on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes until they are toasted.

ramen noodle, sesame seed and slivered almond topping for chinese chicken salad on a baking sheet

Get your veggies ready. I like to use a very large bowl for this part. I put all my veggies in the bowl and then give them a nice toss to evenly distribute them.
Add your toppings. Then I top the salad with the chicken, toasted ramen, cilantro, mandarin oranges. You can arrange these however you’d like. Don’t worry about getting fancy. Just throw them on there!
Make and add dressing. The easiest way to make the dressing is to throw all the ingredients into a mason jar with a sealed lid and shake it all up. Then drizzle the dressing over the salad right before serving.

chopped assorted veggies in a bowl for chinese chicken salad

How to make Chinese Chicken Salad ahead of time:

The worst part about making a salad of time is the risk of it getting soggy. But this recipe is actually very simple to make in advance without ruining. Simply prepare your veggies and your topping, but hold onto the dressing until you are ready to serve. Once you are ready to dig in, add the crunchy toppings, drizzle your dressing, and toss!