Easy Oriental Chicken Salad

Oriental Chicken Salad: a delicious salad that is perfect all year round!  Grilled chicken and lots of veggies makes this for a healthier lunch recipe and one the family will love!

Easy Oriental Chicken Salad

If you have ever been to Applebee’s restaurant you are probably familiar with their popular oriental chicken salad.  It’s delicious and filling but has way to many calories someone should consume in one sitting.  🙂  The first time I had the salad at the restaurant I knew I need to re-create it and make it lighter for my family.  I love salads all year round but I definitely eat more salads during the summer time but sometimes lettuce, tomatoes and other veggies can get boring so it’s nice to add a different flavor or some protein. 

This salad is one of my families favorites and is on our dinner menu quite often.  It’s super simple to put together and the dressing is delicious!  We used natural honey to sweeten the dressing and light mayo to keep the calories down.  A dash of sesame oil adds that asian pop to the dressing that we just love! 

Tips for a delicious Oriental Chicken Salad:

• We use grilled chicken that has been cut into bite sized pieces to save calories from a breaded version. 
• Open a can of mandarin oranges and add a few on top of your salad for an added citrus flavor! My husbands loves them!
• If you have the time, toasting your almonds before adding them to your salad brings out the nuttiness and adds another crunch to every bite. 
• You can use light mayo to save a few calories when making the dressing. 
• Be careful when pouring the sesame oil. A little goes a very long way 🙂
• Use a pre made bag of coleslaw in place of the red cabbage, carrots and napa cabbage to put this salad together even faster!

My favorite part of this easy oriental chicken salad is the crunch from the almonds and chow mein that you get in every bite.  The flavors are delicious and it’s a nice change from a traditional boring salad.