Sesame Orange Chicken Salad (with Sesame-Ginger Dressing)
This Sesame Orange Chicken Salad 🍊🥗🥕 is THE salad to make! We’re talking crunchy cabbage, bell peppers, carrots, and toasted almonds tossed with juicy Asian chicken and sweet mandarin oranges. There’s a homemade tahini-sesame-ginger dressing that coats everything perfectly and takes this quick, EASY, and healthy salad recipe from good to INCREDIBLE!
Easy Sesame Orange Chicken Salad Recipe
- I love a good chicken salad recipe and for me that means that there has to be a ton of CRUNCH and texture in every bite. And it goes without saying, that the chicken needs to be tender, juicy, and flavorful. This salad definitely delivers on everything! Savory, a little bit sweet, protein-packed with 31 grams per serving, fiber forward with 5 grams… it’s got it all.
- I adore the dressing because the sesame oil, ginger, honey, lime juice, and soy sauce work so perfectly alongside the tahini for a truly Asian-inspired rich dressing. It really ties everything together. If you want to use almond butter rather than tahini or make peanut sauce, those are great sways.
- It’s an extremely flexible salad recipe based on what you have on hand, your preferences, and your desire for making it all from scratch or ground zero.
- Time saving hacks: Want to use a rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken? Go for it. Store bought dressing saves time, and so does buying a bag of coleslaw mix to save time slicing veggies. More on this below in the Time-Saving Shortcuts section!
Key Ingredients in Orange Sesame Chicken Salad & Dressing
I like to think of this recipe as having three main components: chicken, dressing, and fresh ingredients for the salad. Tip – If you don’t have something on hand, your salad will still be “fine” without it. Mix-and-match what you do have on hand and enjoy and feel good about making substitutions!
- Chicken – I use boneless skinless chicken breasts that I marinate briefly with soy sauce, lime juice, olive oil, sesame oil, salt, and black pepper. You can use boneless skinless chicken thighs, or see the Time-Saving Shortcuts below and you can use rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken you have on hand.
- Tahini Sesame Ginger Dressing – You guessed it, there’s tahini (sub with almond butter if you’d like), sesame oil, ginger (freshly grated ginger or ground ginger are fine). Soy sauce, honey, lime juice, and garlic also play a role in giving this homemade dressing so much flavor! To keep this recipe gluten-free, use tamari or coconut aminos rather than soy sauce.
- Fresh Salad Ingredients – Shredded Napa cabbage or green cabbage, red cabbage, red bell pepper, carrots, mandarin oranges (I use fresh mandarin oranges but canned mandarin oranges or orange slices may be used), green onions, toasted almonds (or try cashews, peanuts, or toasted sesame seeds), and fresh cilantro add texture, flavor, dimension, and layers of richness.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
Time-Saving Shortcuts
- Use Rotisserie or Leftover Chicken. Skip the marinating and cooking steps by using shredded rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken. My Grilled Asian Chicken, Perfect Baked Chicken, or Sheet Pan Whole Chicken are all perfect. You may want to toss the chicken with a bit of soy and toasted sesame oil to boost the flavor profile.
- Opt for Store Bought Dressing. It truly takes just a minute to whisk together the dressing, but you can always replace the homemade dressing with a quality bottled sesame-ginger dressing. Look for one with a creamy base to maintain a similar texture, and adjust the seasoning if needed by adding a touch of fresh lime juice, honey, or grated ginger for extra brightness.
- Go with Bagged Coleslaw Mix. Instead of slicing fresh cabbage, opt for a pre-shredded coleslaw mix. Many varieties include a blend of green and red shredded cabbage along with carrots, making it a convenient and colorful base for this salad. Add some Romaine lettuce or your fave greens if you prefer. You can mix-and-match with whatever other fresh herbs or veggies you have on hand.
Instructions How To Make Asian Chicken Salad with Mandarin Oranges
- Chicken – Give it a quick marinade of 30 minutes before cooking it in a skillet. Allow it to rest, then slice it. While the chicken marinates, make the dressing and chop the veggies and get the fresh ingredients ready.
- Dressing – To a small bowl, add all the ingredients, whisk well to combine, taste, and make any necessary flavor adjustments. I can’t stress enough to keep tweaking it until you love the flavor!
- Salad – To a large mixing bowl or serving platter, add all the ingredients. You can toast the almonds if you’d like over medium heat in a dry skillet, if desired. Add the sliced chicken to the salad, drizzle the dressing, and toss, and enjoy!
Make-Ahead Meal Prep Tips
- Separate Storage: For the freshest and crunchiest salad, store each of the three main components separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator. Sliced chicken in one, the crunchy vegetables in another, and the dressing in its own sealed mason jar or container.
- Add Dressing (and Herbs) Before Serving: Drizzle the dressing over the salad just before serving to keep the veggies and cabbage crisp. Adding fresh herbs like cilantro or green onions at the last minute is optimal but for less fuss, it’s fine if you keep them with the other veggies.
Chicken (or use rotisserie or leftover chicken)
Sesame-Ginger Dressing (or use store bought)
Salad (all ingredients are mix-and-match, very flexible)
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Chicken – To large bowl, combine the soy sauce, lime juice, sesame and olive oils, whisk to combine, add the chicken, and allow it to marinate on your countertop for about 15-20 minutes while you’re making the dressing and slicing the fresh ingredients for the salad.When you’re ready to cook it, to a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, remove the chicken from the bowl with tongs (discard the marinade), place the chicken into the skillet, and cook over medium-high heat for about 7-9 minutes, flipping once midway. Cooking Tips – Chicken is done when it reaches 165F as measured with a thermometer. Cooking time will vary dramatically based on the thickness of the chicken but for thin-sliced chicken, about 4 minutes per side is what works for me. Set the cooked chicken aside on cutting board to rest before slicing.
- Dressing – To a small bowl, add all the ingredients, whisk to combine, and taste. Make any necessary flavor adjustments, as desired. Flavor Tips – This is a highly personal flavor combo so add whatever you think it needs. If it tastes at all flat or boring, I recommend salt. And/or more lime juice, and honey if you prefer it a bit sweeter. For a bit of a kick, red pepper flakes are a nice touch. When you’re happy with it, set it aside momentarily or if you’re making this in advance, transfer to a small mason jar with a lid or container with a lid and refrigerate. Dressing will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 1 week.
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Salad – To a large platter or serving bowl, add the cabbage, bell pepper, carrots, oranges, green onions, almonds (or other nuts), and cilanto. Optional Toasting – If desired and you want to toast the nuts, add them to a dry skillet and toast them for a couple minutes over medium-low heat, making sure to shake the pan and stir nearly continuously so they don’t burn.
- Assembly – Add the sliced chicken to the salad, drizzle the dressing to taste, and serve! Optionally garnish with extra sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, other fresh herbs such as basil or parsley, etc. and to taste.
Make-Ahead and Storage: To make ahead, store the cooked chicken in its own airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Store the dressing separately in its own mason jar with a lid or small container with a lid. Dressing will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 1 week. The cabbage and other veggies, when stored in meal prep containers, will stay fresh for up to 4-5 days. Top with the chicken and dressing just before serving.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 423kcal, Carbohydrates: 28g, Protein: 31g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Sodium: 1320mg, Potassium: 917mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 18g, Vitamin A: 4315IU, Vitamin C: 82mg, Calcium: 99mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
