napa cabbage salad

This Napa Chicken Salad is crunched up to the MAX! Fresh napa cabbage, juicy rotisserie chicken, a super easy homemade sesame dressing, and crunchy handfuls of cashews, fried wonton strips, dried ramen noodles, crispy fried onions, or sesame sticks...the choice is yours! 

Napa Chicken Salad with Sesame Dressing

green onions, finely chopped

rotisserie chicken (as much as you want)

cashews

noodles

sesame seeds (optional)

maple syrup sugar

apple cider vinegar

soy sauce

sesame oil (to taste)

salt

Toss the shredded cabbage with the green onions (and you can keep this mixture in an airtight bowl in the fridge for several days)!

Shake all the dressing ingredients in a jar. 

When you&#8217;re ready to serve, toss the cabbage mixture with the chicken, cashews, wontons, and enough dressing to generously coat. Serve with extra green onions and sesame seeds on top!

Napa Cabbage Salad is crisp, crunchy and utterly addictive!  This vegan salad is sweet, savory and tossed in an Asian dressing!

Napa Cabbage Salad with Asian Dressing

cabbage

navel oranges

carrot

red bell pepper

onions

cilantro (chopped)

almonds

rice wine vinegar

orange juice (squeezed from remaining orange after segmenting)

sesame oil

maple syrup

sea salt (or

black pepper (or to taste)

Place the orange on a cutting board and cut off the top and bottom.

Stand the orange up on the cutting board and remove the peel from the sides by cutting it from top to bottom, all the way around the orange, removing the white pith.

Cut along one side of the orange segment.

Cut along the other side of the orange segment at a slight angle to remove.

Set the orange slices aside for the salad.

Squeeze the remaining orange after segmenting and reserve the juice for the Asian dressing (you&#039;ll have about 2 tablespoons).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place the almonds on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown and fragrant.

Place the rice wine vinegar, oil, reserved orange juice, sesame oil, soy sauce, maple syrup, salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk until combined.

Place the napa cabbage, orange slices, carrot, bell pepper, green onions and cilantro in a large bowl.

Toss with enough dressing to coat, and top with the toasted almonds.  Serve and enjoy!

This napa cabbage ramen salad with crunchy noodles, almonds, and sunflower seeds is our favorite noodle salad recipe.

Napa Cabbage Ramen Salad

½ large napa cabbage (about 450 g/ 1 lb)

larger onion

sunflower seeds

instant ramen noodles (and their dry seasoning, Note 1)

oil (Note 2)

white wine vinegar (Note 3)

sugar

fine sea salt and pepper

Chop napa cabbage

Chop napa cabbage: Finely slice the napa cabbage and place it in a very large bowl. Chop the onion finely and add it to the cabbage.½ large napa cabbage + 1 larger onion

Make salad dressing

Dressing: mix the noodles&#39; dry seasoning, oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Whisk well until the sugar dissolves. Set asidedry seasoning + ⅔ cup oil + ¼ cup white wine vinegar + ¼ cup granulated sugar + fine sea salt and pepper

Roast almonds

Roast the almonds in a large pan, without using any fat, until fragrant. Shake the pan often to allow the almonds to roast on both sides and keep them from burning. Remove from the pan. ¾ cup whole almonds + ¾ cup sunflower seeds

Roast sunflower seeds

Roast the sunflower seeds in the same pan until golden and fragrant. Shake often again. Add them to the almonds.

Combine cabbage ramen

Combine: Break the instant ramen noodles on top of the sliced napa cabbage. Discard the liquid seasoning. Add the hot almonds and sunflower seeds and the dressing. Stir well to combine.2 packages instant ramen noodles

Marinate napa cabbage salad

Leave to marinate for about 2-3 hours at room temperature. Stir again and adjust the seasoning.

I also toast the ramen noodles in the oven.  It gives a great crispiness.  I mix them with the almonds (I used sliced almonds because it's what I can most easily find) and the sunflower seeds and serve them separately.  I usually have enough left over to use in other types of salads.  I don't worry about croutons anymore.  I just use this mix.  I store them in an old, clean peanut butter jar.  I often use white vinegar with the liquid packets from the ramen.  Sometimes they are a chili oil and it's just enough to give a nice kick to the dressing without being overpowering.  My recipe calls for green onions, which gives it a bit of color.
My German husband loves this salad and so have all our German friends and neighbors.  When I'm feeling lazy, I just buy bags of lettuce from the store and use the dressing and topping.

I have been making this salad for years, but one time I threw a can of drained mandarin oranges into it and it was a huge hit! I now include them every time. I lost my recipe and am taking this salad to a funeral meal and was so happy to see your recipe! It's just like the one I always made. Thank you!

A vibrant and flavorful Chinese Chicken Salad featuring tender baked chicken, crunchy napa cabbage, colorful vegetables, and a zesty sesame-maple dressing, topped with toasted almond sesame brittle for a delightful texture contrast.

The Best Chinese Chicken Salad Recipe

chicken breasts

sesame seeds

olive oil

ginger (freshly grated preferred)

orange zest,

orange juice

black pepper

cayenne pepper

red bell pepper, thinly sliced

carrots,

cucumber, sliced (or substitute snow peas)

cilantro

green onions, sliced

(broccoli sprouts recommended)

Prepare Chicken

Place chicken breasts in a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and ¾ teaspoon salt. Arrange on a parchment-lined sheet pan.

Bake Chicken

Bake in a preheated oven at 375°F (190°C) for about 20-28 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C). Remove and let cool. Once cool, shred the chicken with two forks and adjust salt to taste. This can be prepared up to 2 days ahead and stored in the fridge.

Make Sesame Almond Brittle

Using a medium non-stick skillet over medium heat, toast ½ cup sliced almonds until golden, stirring frequently. Add 2 tablespoons sesame seeds and toast until they begin to pop. Pour in 1 tablespoon maple syrup, stir for 30 seconds, then remove from heat. Fluff to separate and let cool completely to harden. This can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored at room temperature.

Prepare Dressing

In a small bowl, whisk together ¼ cup olive oil, 5 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, ¼ cup soy sauce or gluten-free liquid aminos, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 1 teaspoon grated ginger, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 tablespoon orange zest, 3 tablespoons orange juice, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and a pinch of cayenne. Store in a jar in the fridge for up to 3 days if making ahead.

Combine Salad Ingredients

In a large bowl, mix shredded napa cabbage, thinly sliced red bell pepper, carrot matchsticks or ribbons, sliced cucumber, chopped cilantro, sliced green onions, and shredded chicken.

Toss with Dressing

Stir the dressing before adding, then toss salad ingredients lightly with enough dressing to coat evenly. Adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed.

Garnish and Serve

Sprinkle the cooled sesame almond brittle and additional orange zest over the salad just before serving for added texture and flavor.

This Chinese Chicken Salad recipe is made with crisp napa cabbage, sesame chicken, crunchy veggies, fresh herbs, and the best dressing ever, topped with sesame almond brittle. Vegan-adaptable. This serves 4 as a hearty main course, or 6-8 as a side. 

sesame seeds,

soy sauce,

ginger

maple syrup,

cayenne

cabbage,

carrots, matchsticks

cucumber, sliced, (sub

(broccoli sprouts are nice!)

Chicken

Place chicken breasts in a bowl and toss with the soy sauce, sesame oil and salt, place on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Bake until cooked through (165F), roughly 20-28 minutes, depending on size.  Let cool and shred with two forks, adjust salt to taste.  ( You can do this up to 2 days ahead,  storing in the fridge). 

Sesame brittle

In a non-stick medium skillet, toast the almonds over medium heat until golden and lightly toasted, stirring often. Add the sesame seeds and toast, stirring just until they begin to pop. Pour in the maple syrup, stir for 30 seconds, and remove from the heat. Fluff them up a bit, and let them completely cool. They will harden as they cool. (You could do this up to 3 days ahead, storing at room temperature.) 

Chicken Salad Dressing

Whisk all the ingredeints together in a small bowl. ( You can do this up to 3 days ahead and store it in a jar in the fridge.) 

Combine

Place the cabbage, bell pepper, carrots, cucumber, cilantro, green onions, and chicken in a large bowl. Stir the dressing, then add enough to coat, tossing as you go lightly. You may not need it all, depending on how much cabbage you use. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Garnish

with the Sesame Almond Brittle and orange zest

I used pre-sliced chicken breast, and pan sauteed it. Didn't have almonds, used pecans. I added Aleppo pepper and salt to the pecans when I cooked them. I couldn't find Napa cabbage, so I used romaine hearts. Instead of carrots, I added some edamame. It was delicious! The dressing makes it.

I made this recipe last night for the second time. It is such a fresh and delicious meal on a hot summer day. I am allergic to sesame so used peanut oil and crushed peanuts in place of the sesame brittle. I was also in a pinch for time so I used shredded rotisserie chicken. This is such an easy recipe to adapt, and it was delicious as usual.

Everyone loved it! Great recipes as always😀

Great meal for a hot day. I slow cooked chicken thighs and substituted pumpkin seeds for the almonds. It was delicious and my whole family enjoyed it.

Lovely balance of flavors. Out whole family enjoyed it-- even our son, who doesn't like cabbage.

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/sys4s1cU.mp4

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The most viewed napa cabbage salad recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine