Ramen Chinese Chicken Salad

Crunchy ramen Chinese chicken salad is made with rotisserie chicken, three kinds of cabbage, carrots, green onions, mandarin oranges and a sweet tangy homemade salad dressing.

The chicken is completely optional, but I can’t ever make it without it. With the added protein, it makes a great lunch or main dish for dinner. I especially love the chicken marinated in The Original Japanese BBQ Sauce. It’s being sold everywhere lately, but I first found it at Costco. It is so good and goes perfectly with this salad! Using a rotisserie chicken makes it so simple so there’s minimal cooking!

This oriental chicken salad is a great dish for a potluck.  I remember when I was like 15ish, I went to a camp at a college. I stayed the first night with a girl I had grown up with and her roommates. We went on a little BBQ/picnic and a girl made a salad with crunched up top ramen noodles. I thought it was so weird. Years later my girlfriend gave me this recipe and it’s delicious. Very light, but flavorful and those ramen noodles add the most amazing crunch!

Ingredients for Chinese Chicken Salad with Ramen

At first glance, this is going to look like a long list of ingredients, but I promise that it’s worth it! The flavor is so bold! Here is what you will need…

• Rotisserie Chicken: you can cook your own chicken breasts or buy it precooked
• The Original Japanese BBQ Sauce: this is optional, but it adds fabulous flavor to the chicken

Dressing

• Peanut Oil: the base of the homemade salad dressing, adds a subtle nutty flavor
• Peanut Butter: you’ll want creamy peanut butter
• Sugar: balances the acidity of the vinegar
• Rice Vinegar: adds tanginess to the dressing
• Soy Sauce: grab low sodium so the dressing doesn’t get too salty
• Sesame Oil: the tiniest bit adds the most delightful nutty flavor

Ramen

• Butter: used to toast the ramen noodles
• Ramen Noodles: crunch them up so they are bite size and ditch the seasoning packets
• Almonds: sliced and toasted with the ramen noodles
• Sesame Seeds: you can use black or just regular seeds and they also get toasted with the ramen

Salad

• Napa Cabbage: has a slightly sweeter flavor and the leaves are tender and great for eating raw
• Green Cabbage: chopped thin and adds to the base of the salad
• Red Cabbage: chopped thin and adds a bright pop of color
• Carrots: shredded on cheese grater
• Green Onions: adds that delicious onion flavor but it’s more subtle
• Mandarin Oranges: drained and left whole

This is meant to be just a brief overview of the ingredients needed for the salad and homemade dressing. For the measurements needed of each ingredient, scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post.

How to Make Oriental Chicken Salad

The steps for making Chinese chicken salad are really simple. I’ll include the basic instructions here, but for all the details, jump down to the recipe card.

Chicken

Place the chicken in a ziplock with the Original Japanese BBQ Sauce and allow it to marinate in the fridge. This could be done up to a day ahead of time, but let it marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Dressing

The dressing needs to be cooked on the stove to properly blend all the ingredients. Add all the ingredients together in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Let it boil for a minute and then let it cool to room temperature.

Ramen

Crush the uncooked ramen noodles in a gallon size freezer bag. TIP: I like to use a meat tenderizer to smash them. Very therapeutic! Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat then add the noodles, almonds and sesame seeds and stir occasionally until browned. Move them to a plate to cool.

Salad

Thinly cut all the cabbages, slice the green onions and shred the carrots. Combine everything in a large bowl. Add the drained oranges, chicken and toasted ramen (with almonds and sesame seeds) pour the dressing over the top. Toss to coat and serve immediately.

Tips for the Best Chinese Chicken Salad

• I use a mandolin to slice my cabbage extra thin.
• If you’re in a hurry, you could use a package of coleslaw mix to save time.
• If you can’t find that specific brand of BBQ sauce, use teriyaki sauce to flavor the chicken.
• Add dressing just before serving. You don’t want it to sit for too long on the ramen noodles.

How is Napa Cabbage Different than Regular Cabbage?

Napa cabbage has a sweeter flavor and the leaves are far more tender.

Is Cabbage Good for You?

Cabbage is a low-calorie vegetable that is rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Cabbage is high in vitamin C, an antioxidant that may protect against heart disease, certain cancers and vision loss.

Variations for Oriental Chicken Salad

You can add or omit anything you want to this salad! It’s very easily customizable. Some items that could be added might be sunflower seeds, diced red bell peppers, snow peas, black olives, broccoli florets, edamame, etc.

Can I Make This Salad in Advance?

I like to make the noodles and homemade salad dressing in the morning and store them separately. I will often put the dressing in the fridge and then stick it on the counter an hour before dinner to loosen it up. Both could even be made a day or two ahead of time.

Once you are ready to serve the salad, add the noodles and dressing to the cabbage mixture and toss everything together. Serve immediately.

How to Store Chinese Chicken Salad

Salad should be eaten soon after it is prepared, but left overs can be refrigerated for a day or two. The ramen and almonds will lose their crunch over time.

Chinese chicken salad with ramen noodles is a flavor powerhouse, not to mention it’s bright and beautiful! Perfect for summer potlucks! Everyone will be asking for the recipe.

Watch How to Make Ramen Noodle Chinese Chicken Salad