This Asian-Inspired Rainbow Salad Recipe with chicken is dangerously addictive — in the best way ever. It's perfect for a crowd and is also great to make as a healthy meal prep for the week!
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Asian Style Salad
Sometimes great recipes just happen. No planning. No inspiration. One moment you're trying to figure out what you're going to eat and BAM! You're hit with inspiration. And that pretty much sums up the story of how this Asian salad recipe was created. I
A few weeks back, I made an Asian-inspired meal prep one day and brought it over to my parent's house to enjoy lunch with my mom. Unfortunately, I had also forgotten the dressing that went with it. So I went into her fridge and pantry and created a sort of Thai peanut dressing right then and there. It was so completely delicious that both of us could not stop eating our bowls. Here are just a few other reasons to love it:
- A delicious meal on its own or...
- An excellent side dish
- Wholesome ingredients
- Simply chop and combine
- Perfect for meal planning
Ingredient Information And Substitutions
- Cooked Chicken - This Asian chicken salad recipe is a great way to use up leftover chicken. Grilled or rotisserie would be perfect! Seasoning is not a concern here unless you are using chicken that was cooked in a heavily flavored sauce.
- Lettuce - I like romaine best, but you can use whatever you have on hand. Butter lettuce is also a good option!
- Vegetables - This dish is packed with veggies! You'll need bell pepper, baby cucumbers, edamame, carrots, red cabbage, cilantro and scallions.
- Thin Chow Mein Noodles - Add just the right amount of crunch! You could totally substitute fried wontons.
- Peanut Salad Dressing - Use a combination of peanut butter, sesame oil, soy sauce, lime juice, garlic powder, Sriracha and honey to make your homemade dressing.
How to Make This Asian Crunch Salad
Step 1: Prep the ingredients
Make sure that all of your veggies and the cooked chicken are chopped into evenly sized pieces and combine in a bowl.
Step 2: Make the Asian salad dressing
Whisk together the salad dressing ingredients in a separate bowl. Taste test until you get the flavor you're after.
Step 3: Serve
When you're ready to serve, pour the dressing on top and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
This Asian chicken salad recipe makes a good size salad that's perfect to bring to a party as a dish to pass. You can easily halve the dressing and just make a salad small enough for one or two people as well. I left the amounts of the salad fixings open for this very reason!
Yes! There are so many veggies in here, it would totally work! If you're craving some protein, consider adding chickpeas or tofu.
Yes! I'd encourage you to assemble your Asian chicken salad and make the dressing in advance, but don't actually dress the salad until just before serving to avoid everything getting soggy.
Sure! Make the full recipe and divide it between your containers. Once again, hold off on dressing them until just before serving.
Tips For Making This Asian Salad
- Toss gently. You want the ingredients to be lightly mixed together — if you toss too vigorously you could mash up some of the vegetables.
- Play around with the texture. The variety of veggies in this Asian chopped salad will give you a crunch in every bite! The bell peppers and cucumbers in particular add much to the overall texture. Consider adding some nuts, snow peas, or red onion for even more!
- Add fruit. Some Asian salad recipes will sometimes call for a touch of fruit, so if you want to add some sweetness to the mix I encourage you to do so! Mandarin oranges, mangoes, or chopped pineapple are all great options.
- Wait to add the dressing just before serving. Remember to add the dressing just before serving! Otherwise, you'll end up with a soggy mess.
- Ingredients to Prep Ahead: Clean all veggies, cut lettuce, shred. carrots and cabbage, cut cucumbers, slice red peppers and mix dressing.
- Leftovers and Storage: This lasts up to 5 days without dressing in airtight containers in the fridge.
What To Serve With Asian Sesame Salad
Try these delicious Asian-inspired main dishes with your salad:
Other Salad Recipes To Try...
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5 star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below ⬇️ and/or a review in the comment section further down. Check out my Amazon Store for all my favorite tools, including those used in this recipe. And follow @thelifejolie on Instagram and TikTok!
Asian-Inspired Rainbow Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
Salad:
- 4 cups cut Romaine lettuce packed
- 1 cup sliced red bell pepper,
- 1 cup sliced baby cucumbers,
- ¾ cup Edamame, shelled
- 1 cup shredded carrots,
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage, shredded
- ½ cup Thin chow mein noodles
- 2 pieces Cooked chicken breast, sliced thin (leftover grilled or rotisserie chicken also works)
- 5-6 sprigs Cilantro, lightly torn
- 2-3 Scallions, sliced thin on the diagonal
- Lime wedges, for garnish
Peanut Dressing
- 2 Tablespoons peanut butter
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons lime juice
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons Sriracha
- 2 teaspoons honey
Instructions
- Chop all salad ingredients and combine in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients. Taste and adjust seasonings to your taste if necessary.
- Refrigerate until serving. When ready to serve, pour the dressing on your salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Toss gently. You want the ingredients to be lightly mixed together — if you toss too vigorously you could mash up some of the vegetables.
- Play around with the texture. The variety of veggies in this Asian chopped salad will give you a crunch in every bite! The bell peppers and cucumbers in particular add much to the overall texture. Consider adding some nuts, snow peas, or red onion for even more!
- Add fruit. Some Asian salad recipes will sometimes call for a touch of fruit, so if you want to add some sweetness to the mix I encourage you to do so! Mandarin oranges, mangoes, or chopped pineapple are all great options.
- Wait to add the dressing just before serving. Remember to add the dressing just before serving! Otherwise, you'll end up with a soggy mess.
- Ingredients to Prep Ahead: Clean all veggies, cut lettuce, shred. carrots and cabbage, cut cucumbers, slice red peppers and mix dressing.
- Leftovers and Storage: This lasts up to 5 days without dressing in airtight containers in the fridge.
Lizzie says
Jessy Freimann says
Meri Simpson says
Jessy Freimann says
Tasha says
Jessy Freimann says