There’s something undeniably satisfying about a crunchy, colorful salad that’s bursting with flavor, and this Chinese Chicken Salad recipe is all that and more. Juicy chicken breasts, sweet mandarin oranges, crispy wonton strips, and a tangy ginger Dijon dressing come together to create a fresh, vibrant dish that’s equally perfect for meal prep or feeding a hungry crowd.

This isn’t your average takeout side salad. With bright, zesty flavors and a satisfying mix of textures, it’s a full-on main course that feels indulgent but is secretly pretty light and healthy. It’s one of those recipes you’ll find yourself coming back to again and again – for weeknight dinners, potlucks, and even picnic season.

Cook’s Notes

• Make-ahead friendly: Both the dressing and salad components can be prepped ahead of time, making this ideal for entertaining or meal prep. Just toss right before serving.
• Big flavor, low effort: The tangy ginger Dijon vinaigrette is a flavor bomb that comes together in just minutes with pantry staples.
• Perfect for leftover chicken: Don’t want to cook chicken from scratch? Rotisserie or grilled leftovers work beautifully here.
• Great balance of texture and taste: The sweetness of the oranges, the crunch of the wontons, and the creaminess of the dressing hit all the right notes.
• Light but filling: Thanks to lean protein and fiber-rich veggies, this salad satisfies without weighing you down.

Ingredients you’ll need

Here’s a quick rundown of the essentials to make this asian chicken salad:

• Crispy wonton strips – Store-bought or homemade (lightly baked for maximum crunch)
• Chicken breast – cooked tender chicken is sliced, shredded, or chopped. You can also sub leftover rotisserie chicken
• Soy sauce – for the chicken marinade
• Toasted Sesame oil – adds depth of flavor to the chicken
• Lettuce – crisp romaine lettuce and spinach leaves add extra crunch (add iceberg lettuce if you’d like)
• Mandarin oranges – canned in juice, drained (or use fresh segments if in season)
• Mushrooms – fresh sliced mushrooms adds a creamy texture to the salad
• Scallions – sliced green onions, scallions, or minced chives
• Toasted Sesame Seeds – adds the finishing touch to the salad

For the Dressing

• Mayonnaise – light or regular
• Honey – adds a touch of sweetness to the dressing
• Rice wine vinegar – rice vinegar is light and adds the acid needed to make a delicious vinaigrette
• Dijon mustard – use regular or grainy mustard
• Fresh ginger – freezing ginger for 5 minutes before grating makes it much easier
• Toasted Sesame oil – you can also use olive oil, or grapeseed oil
• Sriracha sauce – store-bought or homemade

Whisk it all together in a small bowl or shake it up in a mason jar. Taste and adjust to your liking – it should be zesty, slightly sweet, and full of ginger-forward tang.

Find the printable recipe card with exact measurements and step-by-step instructions below.

Variations

• Crisp Cabbage – if you’d like to add more crunch to this salad add chopped red cabbage, green cabbage, napa cabbage, or purple cabbage before tossing.
• Toppings – you can easily modify this salad with other toppings like: crunchy chow mein noodles, sliced bell pepper, roasted ramen noodles, crunchy almonds, and fresh cilantro leaves.

Assembly Instructions

1. Cook the chicken: Season your chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then bake, grill, or poach until cooked through. Cool slightly and shred or dice.
2. Prep the veggies: While the chicken cooks, shred the cabbage, slice the green onions, and julienne the carrots.
3. Make the dressing: Combine all the dressing ingredients in a jar or bowl and whisk until emulsified.
4. Toss the salad: In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, chicken, carrots, mandarin oranges, green onions, and cilantro. Add dressing to taste and toss gently to coat.
5. Top and serve: Finish with a generous sprinkle of crispy wonton strips just before serving to keep them crunchy.

Tips for Storing

• Store components separately: Keep the cabbage mix, dressing, and wonton strips in separate containers until ready to serve. This prevents sogginess and keeps everything fresh.
• Refrigerate leftovers promptly: Once dressed, the salad is best eaten within 1-2 days. After that, the cabbage may start to wilt and the wontons lose their crunch.
• Revive with extra crunch: If storing pre-dressed leftovers, add a handful of fresh wonton strips or slivered almonds just before serving for added texture.
• Meal prep tip: Portion the undressed salad into airtight container and keep a small jar of dressing on the side for a grab-and-go lunch solution.

This Chinese Chicken Salad is fresh, fast, and totally foolproof. It’s the kind of dish that tastes like sunshine and feels a little fancy – even though it’s secretly super simple. Whether you’re feeding your family or prepping lunch for the week, it’s a total winner you’ll want in your regular rotation.

More Salad Recipes We Love

• Roasted Pumpkin & Wild Rice Salad
• Spring Pea, Pepper & Goat Cheese Salad
• Spring Salad with Strawberries, Bacon & Blue Cheese
• Mustard Crusted Chicken Salad

Chinese Chicken Salad Recipe

Heather

A quick Chinese chicken salad that won’t break the calorie bank.

YIELD: 2 Servings

5 from 1 Review

PREP TIME:10 minutes mins

COOK TIME:20 minutes mins

TOTAL TIME:30 minutes mins

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Ingredients

  

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• 7 wonton wrappers, sliced into strips
• 2 chicken breast
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• ½ tsp toasted sesame oil
• cooking spray
• 4 cups romaine torn lettuce
• 1 cup spinach leaves
• 3 mandarin oranges, peeled and sectioned
• 2 large mushrooms, washed and sliced
• 2 scallions, sliced
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

For the Dressing:

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 6 tbsp honey
• 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• ½ tsp toasted sesame oil
• ½ tsp sriracha sauce, or other hot sauce, optional

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Instructions

 

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• Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
• Spray a small baking sheet with cooking spray and add the wonton strips. Toss to coat with some of the cooking spray. Spread out evenly. Bake for 5 minutes, or until starting to turn brown and crisp. Remove and cool.
• Spray another small baking sheet with cooking spray (or use the same one after wontons are baked) and add the chicken breasts. Drizzle the 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1/2 tsp sesame oil over the 2 breasts. Bake for 15 minutes, or until chicken releases clear juice when pierced with a knife. Remove and allow to cool slightly.
• In a large bowl add the romaine lettuce, spinach, mandarin orange segments, mushrooms, and scallions. Toss to combine. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl add all of the dressing ingredients (mayonnaise, honey, rice wine vinegar, dijon mustard, grated ginger, toasted sesame oil, and sriracha sauce) and whisk to combine. Drizzle over the greens and toss to coat. Divide between 2 serving bowls and top with sliced chicken breasts and wonton strips. Sprinkle with sesame seeds to taste and serve.

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Notes

Variations

• Crisp Cabbage – if you’d like to add more crunch to this salad add chopped red cabbage, green cabbage, napa cabbage, or purple cabbage before tossing.
• Toppings – you can easily modify this salad with other toppings like: crunchy chow mein noodles, sliced bell pepper, roasted ramen noodles, crunchy almonds, and fresh cilantro leaves.

Nutrition

Calories: 794kcal | Carbohydrates: 96g | Protein: 56g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 156mg | Sodium: 1488mg | Potassium: 1577mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 70g | Vitamin A: 10728IU | Vitamin C: 50mg | Calcium: 151mg | Iron: 4mg

*Nutritional information is not guaranteed to be accurate.

course of this recipeCourse: Salads

cuisine typeCuisine All Cuisines, American, Asian

keywords used in this recipeKeyword: chicken recipes

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Hi! I’m Heather

I’m Heather, a recipe developer and content creator based in Vancouver, Washington. I started Farmgirl Gourmet in 2006 because I believed weeknight dinners shouldn’t be boring and gourmet shouldn’t mean complicated. I’m also the co-founder of Spiceology, so safe to say I think about food for a living. Stick around for recipes that actually make it into your regular rotation.

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