Easy Asian Chicken Salad

If you love Asian flavors in your salad, this recipe is for you!  My Easy Asian Chicken Salad Recipe has all the rich umami flavors of Asian cuisine in salad form.  It’s perfect to serve on its own or as a side for family suppers.

Easy Asian Chicken Salad Shortcuts

What I love most about this recipe is how quickly it can come together.  As a busy Mom, I definitely utilize shortcuts in my recipes!  If I need to make something delicious and fast, I’ll grab a rotisserie chicken from the store and shred it.  That cuts my cook time to virtually nothing in this recipe.  However, if you have enough foresight to plan ahead, you can also make my Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken for this salad instead.  There’s also nothing wrong with cooking and shredding chicken breast or thighs the old fashioned way if you’d like!

Recipe Substitutions

One of the ingredients that really sets this Easy Asian Chicken Salad apart is the toasted ramen noodles.  I love the crunch that comes along with them, but if you don’t have any on hand, there are a couple of other items you could try:

• Wonton Strips (or wonton wrappers you cut into strips and bake or fry)
• Egg Roll Wrappers (also cut into strips, baked or fried)
• Chow Mein Noodles (I like LaChoy)
• Sesame Sticks

When toasting the ramen noodles in the oven, you may need to turn the broiler on for 1-2 minutes at the end of the bake time.  That will increase color on the noodles and make them a little more golden brown.  Be sure to watch them closely, however, as they can burn quickly at broiler temps.

What Ingredients Are In Easy Asian Chicken Salad

This salad has lots of Asian ingredients, especially in the Thai Peanut Dressing.  It’s definitely my favorite part of this recipe, and I use it as a dressing on other simple salads as well when I’m craving anything Asian.

I’ve separated the ingredients below into Easy Asian Chicken Salad Ingredients and Thai Peanut Dressing Ingredients so you can make them individually if you’d like:

Salad Ingredients:

• Ramen noodles
• Rotisserie chicken
• Teriyaki sauce
• Bagged classic coleslaw mix
• Fresh cilantro
• Water chestnuts
• Mandarin oranges
• Green onions
• Slivered almonds

Thai Peanut Dressing Ingredients:

• Peanut butter
• Soy sauce
• Rice wine vinegar
• Mandarin orange juice
• Brown sugar
• Garlic

How to Make Easy Asian Chicken Salad

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with foil (for easy clean up!). Break up your ramen noodles into small pieces and place them on the baking sheet. Toast for 10-12 minutes or until they turn golden brown.  You may need to turn on the broiler (for 1-2 minutes) for additional color.  Watch it carefully!

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine all dressing ingredients and whisk.  Place the dressing in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve.

In a large bowl, add the rotisserie chicken and toss with the Teriyaki sauce to cover.

Add the coleslaw mix, cilantro, diced water chestnuts, and mandarin oranges.  Gently toss to combine.  Top with the green onions, almonds, and the baked ramen noodles.

Just prior to serving, whisk your dressing again and pour over salad to coat.

Enjoy!