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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.
Oriental Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts grilled or sauteed and cut into bite-sized pieces
Salad
- 3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1/2 cup chopped red cabbage
- 1/2 cup chopped napa cabbage
- 1 carrot shredded
- 1/4 cup chopped cucumber
- 3 Tbsp sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup dry chow mein
Dressing
- 3 Tbsp honey
- 1 1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup light mayo
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/8 tsp sesame oil
Instructions
- Mix together salad ingredients.
Top with grilled chicken breast pieces and drizzle with dressing.
Notes
- You can use a premade coleslaw mix in place of the red cabbage, napa cabbage and carrots for an even faster salad.
Bethany Crisp says
This looks SO delicious!! Can’t wait to try!
Kara says
One of the best salads ever! The homemade dressing is AMAZING!
MMW says
Perfect for my lunch with my girlfriends. So fresh and yummy!
April says
One of my favorite salads! Love the flavors.