Chinese Chicken Salad

This Chinese Chicken Salad recipe is so good, you’ll love making it year-round. It’s perfect for those family reunions, church functions, and family picnics in the park. This recipe is probably about 40 years old. I had a dear friend named Cheryl C., and she would make this salad for neighborhood parties.

I can tell you this for sure: everyone wanted the recipe. So, I thought today was the perfect day to share it with all of you. It’s so delicious and simple to make that I think your family will love it!

This Chinese Chicken Salad features a crunch of cabbage, sliced almonds, sesame seeds, Asian noodles, chopped green onions, and shredded chicken, all topped with a slightly sweet salad dressing.

Kitchen Items You May Need:

• A good knife
• Cutting board
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Large Bowl
• Mini Blender or Regular Blender

Chinese Chicken Salad Ingredients

Chicken Breasts

Cooked and shredded chicken is the hearty protein base of this salad. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts work beautifully here because they shred easily and absorb the dressing well. That said, this salad is just as satisfying without the chicken, making it a flexible option for a lighter meal or a meatless side dish.

Shredded Cabbage (Coleslaw Mix)

Two 10-ounce bags of pre-shredded cabbage give this salad its signature crunch and bulk. The coleslaw mix typically includes green cabbage, red cabbage, and shredded carrots, which add color, texture, and a mild, slightly sweet flavor. Using pre-shredded bags keeps prep quick and easy.

Green Onions

Half a bunch of green onions, washed and sliced into quarter-inch pieces, adds a mild, fresh onion flavor that brightens the entire salad without being overpowering. Both the white and green parts of the onion are used, adding a little variety in flavor from one end to the other.

Oriental/Asian Noodles with Seasoning (Snack Ramen)

One package of Snack Ramen-style noodles is used completely dry and uncooked. Breaking them up and tossing them into the salad raw gives an irresistible crunch that softens slightly as they sit in the dressing. The seasoning packets are reserved for the dressing, where they do the heavy lifting in terms of flavor.

Sliced Almonds

An eighth of a cup of sliced almonds adds a delicate, nutty crunch that layers well with the noodles and cabbage. They’re light enough not to overpower the other ingredients and bring a subtle richness to each bite.

Sesame Seeds

An eighth of a cup of sesame seeds adds a toasty, nutty depth that’s classic in Asian-inspired dishes. These tiny seeds are distributed throughout the salad and contribute flavor to every forkful.

Dressing Ingredients

Vegetable Oil

Half a cup of vegetable oil forms the base of the dressing, creating a smooth consistency that coats the salad evenly. It has a neutral flavor that lets the other dressing ingredients shine.

White Vinegar

One tablespoon of white vinegar provides a clean, mild acidity that balances the oil and the sugar’s sweetness. It gives the dressing a light tang without being sharp or overpowering.

Soy Sauce

One and a half tablespoons of soy sauce add a savory, umami-rich depth to the dressing, tying it to the salad’s Asian flavor profile. It also adds a touch of saltiness that enhances all the other ingredients.

Sugar

An eighth of a cup of sugar balances the vinegar and soy sauce with just the right amount of sweetness. This is what gives the dressing that familiar sweet-savory quality that makes this salad so craveable.

Black Pepper

Half a teaspoon of black pepper adds a gentle warmth and a little bite to the dressing. It’s subtle but important for rounding out the overall flavor.

Ramen Seasoning Packet

The seasoning packet saved from the Snack Ramen noodles is the secret ingredient in this dressing. It’s packed with savory, slightly salty, deeply flavored seasoning that makes the dressing taste as if it were made with far more effort than it was. This is the ingredient that makes people ask for the recipe.

Step One: Gather Ingredients

Gather the ingredients.

Step Two: Make the Salad Dressing

To make the Chinese Salad Dressing, add the ingredients to a blender, starting with the oil, followed by the white vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, pepper, and the seasoning packets, until smooth. Refrigerate the salad dressing until it’s ready to serve.

Step Three: Combine Salad Ingredients

Combine the cooked shredded chicken, shredded cabbage, chopped green onions, Asian noodles, sliced almonds, and sesame seeds in a large bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Step Four: Pour the Dressing on the Salad

Pour the Chinese Chicken Salad Dressing over the salad JUST before serving. Refrigerate the leftovers.

Chinese Chicken Salad Recipe

UPDATE: Chinese Chicken Salad Recipe (recipe cut in half)

How do I store the leftover salad?

I store this salad in an airtight container, similar to a Tupperware container. It tastes great the next day!

Can I make it without the chicken?

I love this salad, whether or not it includes the chicken.

Can I use canned chicken?

I have used the canned chicken from Costco, and it works great!

Can I substitute chow mein noodles for the Asian noodles?

Yes, you can. The only downside is that you need to add some seasonings (to replace the seasoning packets) to make the dressing.

Can I add some of my favorite vegetables?

I have added shredded carrots, pickled carrots, rinsed frozen peas (to thaw), and snow peas.

Can I use purple cabbage instead of green?

I love mixing green and purple cabbage, as well as using them separately.

Where Did Chinese Chicken Salad Come From?

Despite its name, Chinese Chicken Salad isn’t a dish that originated in China. It’s actually an American creation, born out of California cuisine and the mid-twentieth-century fascination with Asian-inspired flavors in mainstream American cooking.

The salad is most commonly credited to Cecilia Chiang, a pioneering Chinese restaurateur who opened The Mandarin restaurant in San Francisco in 1961. Her restaurant introduced many Americans to authentic Chinese cooking at a time when most people’s exposure to Chinese food was limited to heavily Americanized versions. While the exact salad we know today may not have come directly from her kitchen, her influence on bringing Chinese flavors into California dining culture was enormous.

Wolfgang Puck, the famous Austrian-American chef, is also widely credited with popularizing a version of Chinese Chicken Salad at his iconic Los Angeles restaurant Spago in the 1980s. His version brought the salad into the spotlight of upscale California cuisine, and from there it spread rapidly across the country, appearing on restaurant menus and in home kitchens everywhere.

The salad reflects a broader American culinary tradition of borrowing and adapting flavors from other cultures, making them uniquely American. The combination of shredded cabbage, crispy noodles, sesame, soy, and a sweet, tangy dressing has no direct equivalent in traditional Chinese cooking. It’s instead a reflection of how Chinese flavors were interpreted and reimagined through an American lens.

By the 1990s, Chinese Chicken Salad had become a staple of casual American dining, appearing in delis, chain restaurants, and family cookbooks across the country. It remains one of the most popular salads in the United States to this day, beloved for its satisfying crunch, bright flavors, and the way it feels both light and filling.

Do I have to use almonds?

No, I realize people have nut allergies, so just skip the almonds as needed.

What can I serve with this salad?

• Dinner Rolls
• French Bread
• Hamburgers and Hot Dogs (skip the chicken in the salad)
• Fresh fruit
• Barbecued Steaks

Is Cabbage good for you?

Of course, I would always ask your doctor if you have any concerns about cabbage. Here’s what WebMD states, I quote, “It’s Good for Your Digestion. Cabbage has 1 gram of fiber for every 10 calories. That helps fill you up, so you eat less. It also helps keep you regular and may lower your ‘bad’ (LDL) cholesterol and help control your blood sugar. Cabbage also has nutrients that keep the lining of your stomach and intestines strong.”

In case you missed this post:

• The Very Best Coleslaw Recipe
• 20 Top Chicken Dinner Recipes

Final Word

Please let me know if you’ve made this Chinese Chicken Salad before and if your recipe differs slightly. It’s all about cooking from scratch and teaching our kids and grandkids how to do the same. Hopefully, you can use some of your garden vegetables in this salad.

One great aspect of this salad is that it’s served cold, straight from the fridge. What a great way to enjoy a fresh salad on a hot summer day! May God bless this world, Linda