This protein-packed Asian Chicken Salad is loaded with chicken, Napa cabbage, mandarin oranges, avocado, and crispy wontons tossed in a spicy chili crisp dressing. Perfect for meal prep!
Asian Chicken Salad
Now that the weather’s warming up, I’m ready for big, bold, main dish salads—and this crispy Asian Chicken Salad has been at the top of my list lately. If you’re anything like me, lunch needs to be high-protein, fresh, and easy to prep ahead. Bonus points if it actually makes you excited to eat a salad. Well, this one has it all! Plus, it’s meal prep gold. Make a big batch, and lunch is handled for the week. You may also want to try this Asian Chicken Chopped Salad.
Why You’ll Love This Asian Chicken Salad
I devoured this Asian chicken salad when I first tested this recipe. It’s protein-packed with tender chicken breast, Napa cabbage, mandarin oranges, creamy avocado, slivered almonds, and crispy wonton chips. Everything gets tossed in a simple chili crisp dressing that you might want to double, it’s that good. Here are more reasons to try it:
- High in protein to keep you full and fuel your day
- Crunchy and fresh thanks to the cabbage and toppings
- Flavorful with juicy mandarin oranges and a chili crisp dressing
- Meal-prep Friendly: Just store the dressing, avocado, and toppings separately.
- Dietary Restrictions: Weight Watchers-friendly, gluten-free (if omitting wontons), high-protein, dairy-free; vegetarian and vegan (if omitting chicken)
If you make this Asian chicken salad recipe, I would love to see it. Tag me in your photos or videos on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook. And be sure to join the Skinnytaste Community to see what everyone’s cooking!
What You’ll Need
Here are the ingredients for this easy Asian chicken salad recipe. See the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Wonton Wrappers: Make homemade wonton chips with wonton wrappers and cooking spray.
- Asian Chicken Salad Dressing: For the spicy chili crisp dressing, you’ll need red pepper flakes, sesame seeds, garlic, sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey, and salt.
- Napa Cabbage is a hearty green, making it perfect for meal prep. Compared to lettuce, cabbage doesn’t get as soggy as quickly.
- Chicken Breast: If you have leftover grilled chicken, use it, or you can buy rotisserie chicken if you don’t want to cook.
- Vegetables: Cucumbers, scallions, and avocado
- Oranges: Fresh mandarins or clementines add a burst of juicy sweetness.
- Slivered Almonds for more crunch and protein
How to Make Asian Chicken Salad
The spicy chili crisp vinaigrette elevates this salad, making it absolutely craveable. See the recipe card at the bottom for printable directions.
- Make the Wonton Chips: Place the wonton wrappers on a parchment- lined baking sheet and spray them with cooking spray. Bake at 325°F for 10 to 12 minutes until golden and crisp.
- Make the Chili Crisp Vinaigrette: Combine the red pepper flakes, sesame seeds, and garlic in a small heat-safe bowl. Warm the sesame oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Pour it into the bowl with the chili flake mixture. Once the seeds stop sizzling, add rice vinegar, sweetener, and salt, and let it cool.
- Assemble the Salads: Add the cabbage, chicken, vegetables, and oranges to a large bowl or 4 smaller ones. Top with the almonds and crushed wontons, and drizzle with the vinaigrette.
Variations:
- Greens: I used hearty Napa cabbage because it holds up all week, but if you want to eat this the same day you make it, any lettuce will work.
- Oranges: Any fresh citrus works, like oranges, Cara Cara, or Sumo mandarins.
- Gluten-Free: If you want to make it gluten-free, skip the wontons. It will still be great.
- Time Savers: Buy wonton chips and a bag of coleslaw if you don’t have time to make the chips and chop the cabbage.
- Vegetarian/Vegan: Omit the chicken and add extra vegetables, like bell pepper or carrots, or tofu to make it heartier.
- Nuts: Swap almonds with peanuts or cashews, or make it nut-free and use sunflower seeds.
Storage
The salad will last for 4 days in the refrigerator. Here’s how to meal prep it:
- Store the dressing and wontons in separate containers.
- Mix the remaining ingredients together and store in an airtight container.
- Slice the avocado before eating.
More Chicken Salad Recipes You’ll Love
For more salad ideas using chicken, check out these five delicious chicken salad recipes to inspire your next meal!
Yield: 4 servings
Serving Size: 1 ¾ cups
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon dried minced garlic
- 1 ½ tablespoons sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon liquid sweetener, honey, monk fruit, etc
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 small wonton wrappers, omit for gluten-free
- 4 cups Napa cabbage, chopped
- 3 ½ cups chicken breast, pulled rotisserie or chopped grilled (16 oz)
- 1 cup chopped cucumber
- ¼ cup chopped scallion, about 2-3 scallions
- 3 small mandarins or clementines, separated into slices
- 5 ounces avocado, sliced
- ¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted
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Preheat the oven to 325F.
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Add wonton wrappers to a parchment lined baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Bake until golden and crisp, 10-12 minutes. Set aside to cool, then crumble.
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Meanwhile, make homemade chili crisp vinaigrette: In a small heat safe bowl combine red pepper flakes, sesame seeds and garlic. Heat the sesame oil in a small skillet over medium heat until hot and aromatic, 1-2 minutes. Pour into the bowl over the chili flake mixture. Once the seeds stop sizzling, add rice vinegar, sweetener and salt. Set aside to cool.
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While it cools, in a large bowl or 4 individual bowls, carefully add the cabbage, topped by the chicken, then cucumber, scallion, mandarin and avocado. Top with toasted almonds, crushed wontons and drizzle with chili crisp vinaigrette.
Last Step:
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Variations:
- Double the Chili Crisp Dressing: You won’t regret it!
- Greens: I used hearty Napa cabbage because it holds up all week, but if you want to eat this the same day you make it, any lettuce will work.
- Oranges: Any fresh citrus works, like oranges, Cara Cara, or Sumo mandarins.
- Gluten-Free: If you want to make it gluten-free, skip the wontons. It will still be great.
- Time Savers: Buy wonton chips and a bag of coleslaw if you don’t have time to make the chips and chop the cabbage.
- Nuts: Swap almonds with peanuts or cashews, or make it nut-free and use sunflower seeds.
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Serving: 1 ¾ cups, Calories: 371 kcal, Carbohydrates: 26.5 g, Protein: 26.5 g, Fat: 19 g, Saturated Fat: 3 g, Cholesterol: 60 mg, Sodium: 433.5 mg, Fiber: 6 g, Sugar: 8.5 g
