Asian Crunch Salad
This Asian Crunch Salad recipe is loaded with chicken, Napa cabbage, Romaine lettuce and spinach, with crunchy almonds, and Chow mein noodles. It’s dressed with a flavorful vinaigrette of sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and other Asian-inspired ingredients. It also has spoonfuls of our secret peanut sauce drizzled on top for the ultimate party salad.
If you’re into crunchy, healthy salads like I am, especially when they are made with colorful and vibrant veggies, then add this recipe to your meal prep for the week! This is my new favorite summer salad! An Asian crunch salad combines fresh, crisp vegetables with a unique blend of Asian-inspired flavors and a crunchy Chow Mein noodle texture. If you like ramen noodles instead, then give our Ramen Noodle Salad a try–for an extra, extra crunch!
Asian-Inspired Crunchy Salad
One of the best parts about a Crunchy Asian Cabbage Salad is that you can easily customize it with different flavor combinations to your taste. Below are some more ideas for variations, but feel free to get creative! The full printable recipe is at the bottom of this post.
Eat a salad every day!
This Asian Crunch Salad makes me want to eat a salad every day, as the meal prep is so easy and the ingredients hold up so well in the fridge. Toss all the crunchy ingredients with the vinaigrette, and add the chicken and peanut sauce for a fresh, quick meal. I love this for lunch, dinner, and it’s an impressive salad that’s perfect for parties, and summer picnics. No wonder this salad is always the most popular at potlucks! The dressing might be my favorite part of this recipe!
I often serve salads when I’m entertaining. Some of my favorites include burrata salad, cantaloupe salad, corn salad, Pad Thai salad, and Best Italian pasta salad. You can never have enough salads when you are hosting, especially for holidays like the Fourth of July, Father’s Day, Memorial Day, etc.! Add this Chinese Chicken Salad to your list!
Asian Crunch Salad Ingredients:
SALAD INGREDIENTS:
- Rotisserie Chicken – use shredded or chopped chicken. If you want to keep it vegan or vegetarian, edamame beans or tofu are excellent choices for protein.
- Crunchy toppings of choice – add almonds and Chow mein noodles, but you can also add toasted sesame seeds, bean sprouts, or crispy wontons on top of the salad!
- Cabbage & lettuce– I use a combination of Napa cabbage, Romaine lettuce, and spinach, because I love a mix of light and dark leaves (and crunch). If you are in a pinch for time, you can buy packaged slaw or shredded cabbage or even use red cabbage. Make sure it’s chopped again after you remove it from the package.
- Veggies– for this recipe, I love the texture (and color) of bell pepper, cucumbers, and green onions. I use the green part of the onions, and a tiny bit of the white. You can also use red onion finey sliced.
- Fresh Herbs – cilantro is my go-to flavor of herb to this salad! Basil or parsley or mint would go well, also.
The secret dressing and peanut sauce:
The Vinaigrette: It’s an oil-and-vinegar dressing that you can shake up in a jar, that is quite lovey. On the healthier side, we use avocado oil, with a splash of sesame oil, rice vinegar, and the sweetness of honey. The “kick” of Garlic Chili Crunch (I buy at Trader Joe’s) is my favorite!
The Peanut Sauce: This is totally optional, but it’s what I call the “secret sauce.” A spoonful on top makes this salad. You need rice vinegar, peanut butter, honey, soy sauce, pepper and dried minced onion. Then you stream in the avocado oil (or olive oil) with sesame oil and mix it up! It’s delightful!
How do you make this perfect potluck Asian Crunch Salad?
- Make the peanut sauce: Whisk the peanut butter into the vinegar until smooth. Add the soy sauce, honey, black pepper, and minced onion and continue to whisk. Next add in the sesame and salad oil. Whisk well and put in fridge; shake or whisk well before serving.
- Make the vinaigrette: Whisk all of the ingredients together until smooth—the rice vinegar, honey, Chili Crunch, sesame oil and other oil. Store in a canning jar until ready to use. Shake before using!
- Toast the almonds: To a skillet, add a teaspoon of oil and toast the slivered almonds. Toast until slightly golden and fragrant and immediately remove from pan. Spread on a paper towel to cool. [TIP: You can also toast in the microwave for 1 minute, turning half way, until golden. Be careful not to burn].
- Assemble the salad: Prep and chop all the veggies; use a mandolin for the cucumbers if you prefer. You want everything in bite size pieces. Add to a large bowl [cabbage, Romaine, spinach, bell peppers, green onions, cucumber, 3/4 cup cilantro leaves], ending with a drizzle of the vinaigrette. Toss until coated; add more vinaigrette if you need to.
- Serve the salad: To the tossed salad, add the chopped or shredded chicken on top, with the Chow Mein noodles, slivered almonds, and 1/4 cup of cilantro leaves. Drizzle with peanut sauce; toss and serve!
Asian Crunch Salad variations:
There are so many ways to change up the ingredients for a different flavor!
- Protein: Instead of chicken you can use grilled chicken, steak, tofu or edamame.
- Greens: Use a mix of shredded green and red cabbage, or iceberg lettuce instead of Romaine. You can also add kale!
- Avocado: Add one diced avocado to the mix for a fresh new flavor.
- Oranges: Add one small can of drained mandarin oranges for a sweet and savory salad like we use in this Asian Chicken Cranberry Salad.
- Noodles: Try using broken up ramen noodles or wonton strips in place of Chow Mein noodles.
- Veggies: Feel free to add other vegetables such as bean sprouts, snap peas or snow peas, radishes and celery, baby corn or crunchy water chestnuts.
- Dressing: Optional to leave out the “chili crunch” and add in garlic or hot sauce for extra kick!
- Nuts: Try using cashews or peanuts instead of the almonds.
- Spicy -some of the easiest ways to kick up the spice level in this dish are to double the crushed red pepper chili flakes in the dressing, add sriracha or hot sauce, or add a jalapeno or serrano pepper.
- Deluxe – in addition to the green and purple cabbage, carrots, and bell pepper, you can add more crunchy vegetables like snap peas, radishes, or celery. Feel free to add chopped kale or romaine lettuce for even more flavor and nutrition.
- Peanut Dressing – if you prefer a simple peanut dressing instead of the Lime Ginger Dressing, there’s a great option for a dressing made with peanut butter included in my Spring Roll in a Bowl recipe. You can easily swap the dressing to change this salad up a bit!
Sandy’s tips and substitutions:
- For the vegetarians: Leave out the chicken! Add in edamame or tofu. If adding edamame, I buy it frozen, already shelled, at Trader Joe’s and just boil them for a few minutes (drain and allow to cool).
- For the gluten-free: Leave out the crunchy chow mein noodles and use coconut aminos in place of the soy sauce.
- For the protein-lovers: Add a double amount of chicken! In place of rotisserie chicken, used grilled chicken, shrimp, or steak.
- Meal prep: If you are making this recipe ahead, you can definitely chop and prep all the veggies and chicken in advance and even mix them together. Store the salad components and dressing in separate airtight containers in the fridge. We use a mason jar with a lid.
- Serving: When you’re ready to serve, add the vinaigrette and combine. Do not add the chow mein, almonds, and sauce until just before serving.
- Storage: Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. If the salad was already tossed, it might be on the soggier side, but it’s still delicious the next day!
More Asian-type salad recipes you may want to try:
Get the Recipe:
Asian Crunch Salad
Ingredients
Peanut Sauce:
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp peanut butter
- 1 tsp honey
- ¼ cup soy sauce, or coconut aminos
- Pinch black pepper
- 2 tsp dried minced onion
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 tsp Sesame Oil
Vinaigrette:
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp Garlic Chili Crunch, I buy at Trader Joe’s
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- ¼ cup olive oil or avocado oil
Salad:
- 6 cups chopped Napa Cabbage
- 4 cups chopped Romaine
- 1 cup baby spinach leaves
- 1 cup sliced baby bell peppers
- 6 green onions, sliced, both white and green parts
- 1 large seedless cucumber, sliced thin with a mandolin
- 1 cup cilantro leaves, pick off of the stems, divided
- 1 cup slivered almonds, I buy toasted at Trader Joe’s
- 1 cup Chow Mein noodles
- 1 lb. Rotisserie Chicken, cut into bite-sized cubes
Equipment
Instructions
- Make the peanut sauce: In a small bowl, whisk the peanut butter into the vinegar until smooth. Add the soy sauce, honey, black pepper, and minced onion and continue to whisk. Next add in the sesame and salad oil. Whisk well pour into canning jar and refrigerate; shake or whisk well before using.
- Make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk all of the ingredients together until smooth—the rice vinegar, honey, Chili Crunch, sesame oil and other oil. You can also store in a canning jar; refrigerate until ready to serve. Shake before using!
- Toast the almonds: To a skillet, add a teaspoon of oil and toast the slivered almonds. Toast until slightly golden and fragrant and immediately remove from pan. Spread on a paper towel to cool. [TIP: You can also toast in the microwave for 1 minute, turning half way, until golden. Be careful not to burn].
Assemble the salad:
- Prep and chop the veggies; use a mandolin for the cucumbers if you prefer. You want everything in bite size pieces.
- When ready to assemble, add the salad ingredients to a large bowl [cabbage, Romaine, spinach, bell peppers, green onions, cucumber, ¾ cup cilantro leaves], ending with a drizzle of the vinaigrette. Toss until coated; add more vinaigrette if you need to.
Serve the salad:
- When ready to serve, add the chicken, with the Chow Mein noodles, slivered almonds, and remaining ¼ cup of cilantro leaves. It’s pretty!
- Last step is to drizzle with peanut sauce; toss and serve!
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
