This Chinese Chicken Salad is a crunchy salad dream with tons of sweet and savory flavor. The almond butter sesame dressing is sweetened with dates, making this salad paleo and Whole30 compliant. Perfect for lunches and dinners, and the leftovers save well to pack the next day.
The heatwave has officially taken me down. I used to openly HATE the heat, but over the past few years started to sort of like it/embrace it. I even thought maybe I could be one of those “the hotter the better” people.
But as of today, I guess that’s a no. When the real-feel passes 100° F, my body quickly says “f— no”. Doing a hot yoga class in the morning probably didn’t help the situation, even wearing breathable, moisture wicking gear. No matter how much water I drink, moving even a little bit seems out of reach.
But seriously, if you are one of those hotter-the-better people, I envy you big time right now.
Now for the transition to this salad!
Option 1: “salads are great in the heat!” Yes, this is true, except for the fact that for this particular Chinese chicken salad, I have you pan frying your chicken, possibly the hottest way to cook anything. So darn, this transition is flawed.
Option 2: “even if I can’t handle the heat, I am still grateful for huge salads loaded with crunchy goodies and packed with flavor like this Chinese Chicken Salad!” Good enough for me. And really, ain’t it the truth. Amen.
But even more seriously, you are going to flipping LOVE this salad. Because the dressing is drinkable (weird, but this is my standard for salad dressing) the chicken is flavorful and juicy and even after all that, it’s both Paleo and Whole30 compliant.
This Chinese Chicken Salad is bound to become one of your absolute favorite, put-on-repeat salads! But don’t take my word for it just like that – you need to make it to believe it.
Ingredients in Chinese Chicken Salad
- Slaw mix
- Purple cabbage
- Scallions
- Cashews or almonds
- Cilantro
- Mandarin oranges
- Avocado oil
- Chicken thigs
- Onion powder & garlic powder
- Sea salt & black pepper
I decided to use boneless, skinless thighs over breasts because they are so much juicier and more flavorful. I basically use them whenever I possibly can because they are just that GOOD!
However, you can easily swap in breasts if that’s your thing. Heck, you can use whatever chicken you like! Leftover rotisserie, slow cooked, instant pot – the sky is the limit – use your favorite.
Ingredients in Almond Butter Sesame Dressing
- Medjool dates
- Almond butter
- Coconut aminos
- Sesame oil
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Rice vinegar
If you want you can substitute apple cider vinegar for the rice vinegar.
How to Make Almond Butter Sesame Dressing
Put all of the dressing ingredients into a blender and blend until everything is combined and has become smooth and creamy. Don’t worry if your dressing is too thick – you can add a small amount of water to smooth it out. Start with a 1/2 teaspoon and add more if necessary.
To keep the salad Whole30 compliant, I used Medjool dates to sweeten the dressing. DO NOT be intimidated if this is new to you – they blend up perfectly smooth with the rest of the ingredients.
I used a NutriBullet but you can probably use any blender. Just make sure you soak your dates in a little hot water before using them to make sure they’re nice and soft.
I hope you’re ready for a super easy yet HIGHLY delicious Chinese Chicken Salad recipe that’s going to become a new favorite – even for the non-paleo eaters! Get your dates soaking and grab your ingredients, it’s time to EAT – let’s go!
Paleo Chinese Chicken Salad {Whole30}
Paleo Chinese Chicken Salad {Whole30}
Ingredients
Almond Butter Sesame Dressing:
- 3 medjool dates pitted and softened if necessary by soaking in very hot water for 5 minutes
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 3 Tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1/2 inch fresh ginger peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
Salad:
- 2 cups slaw mix
- 1 cup Purple cabbage shredded
- 1 bunch Scallions green and white parts, thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup Raw cashews or almonds, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 1/2 cup Mandarin oranges check labels for Whole30
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil ghee, or coconut oil
- 1 1/2 lbs Chicken thighs boneless and skinless
- 3/4 tsp onion powder
- 3/4 tsp garlic powder
- Sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
Prepare the Dressing:
Place all ingredients in a small, powerful blender (I used a NutriBullet) and blend until smooth and creamy. If the mixture is extremely thick, you can add a tiny bit of water until it reaches desired thickness. Cover the dressing and place it in the refrigerator while you prepare the salad.
Prepare the Salad:
- In a large serving bowl, combine the slaw mix, cabbage, sliced scallions, nuts, cilantro, and mandarin oranges. Set aside while you cook the chicken.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add the oil or ghee. Pat the chicken dry and season all over with the onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Add chicken to the sizzling skillet and cook 5-7 minutes on the first side, adjusting the heat if necessary to get a nice golden brown crust. Flip and cook another 5 minutes on the second side, until deep golden brown and cooked through. The internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165° F.
- Remove the chicken to a cutting board. Once it cools for 1-2 minutes, slice it or cut into bite size pieces. Arrange over the salad, then toss with as much dressing as you like, or, serve the dressing on the side if you prefer. Makes about 6 servings. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Shop Products and Ingredients:
Want More Whole30 Salad Recipes? Try One of These!
Kale Salad with Chicken, Caramelized Onions and Hot Bacon Dressing
Crispy Chicken Salad with “Honey” Mustard Dressing
BLT Chicken Salad with Peppercorn Ranch Dressing
Shrimp Cobb Salad with Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette
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Yum
I made this tonight and it was amazing! It will definitely be making a regular appearance in my house! I cannot say enough how delicious and tasty it was! I can hardly wait for lunch tomorrow!
This sounds so flavorful and absolutely delicious! I love eating salads in the summer heat!
What can I say,you did it again, this is delicious we love it.
One question though,my dressing came out a little thick, I think maybe from my almond butter, but still yummy.
Any ideas on how to make it a little less thick?
I added some of the water I soaked my dates in for the same reason
Does this salad hold up well over a few days?? Looks like it would make great lunches for work.
My hubby and I prefer pineapple tidbits over mandarine oranges so that’s how I tweaked this AMAZING recipe. It is good warm, hot, room temperature or cold – another amazing thing. I took it to work the next day – excellent leftovers! LOVE THIS!
Made this salad tonight, and my whole family loved it. Making it again.
SO DELICIOUS!!!
This was a great salad, even on this cold November night. I did sub raw honey for the dates, since I’m done with my Whole30, but the dressing was fabulous! Thanks for another great recipe.
I just prepped this salad for lunches this week. Easy to make. Didn’t have mandrain oranges, so I used pineapple like someone else did. Had to try a little bit and it is delicious. Thank you again for all your recipes Michelle.
SO GOOD! Every part of this was unbelievable. Thank you for such a great recipe!!
I would eat this for dessert!
Mmmmm, love me some chicken “thigs”! 🙂
Seriously though, it’s a wonderful dish that makes a regular rotation in our family. Thank you!
After studying up on Paleo various books, websites, and podcasts, I’m glad to have found a “one-stop” resource that both verbally and visually explains the science in a clear, understandable way; provides guidance on special conditions and considerations; and also contains a bunch of tasty recipes that follow the guidelines (And also easily point out which recipes are good for which conditions). And the ebook is completely FREE! Available here:
https://healthlifestyle.club/paleo-beginners
This salad is delicious. My husband said that it reminded him of the thai chicken pizza from California Pizza Kitchen. We are going to make this again and again! Thank you!
How long will the salad dressing keep in the refrigerator
I made this tonight and it was delicious! My husband loved it too. Thanks!
This was truly the best salad recipe I have made. I followed it and prepared it without deviation. I’m not a fan of cilantro, but I thought I would stay true to the recipe the first time around and then make changes if necessary! It was fabulous! I am not taking the cilantro out, it just finishes off the salad with true flavor. My husband was also a fan. We will be eating this often!! It makes a lot! Looking forward to lunch tomorrow and probably the following day. Perfect for the two of us!!
Love this salad! Am prepping it for the work week for a September whole 30! I found something called “date nectar” in a bottle, only ingredient is dates so seems W30 compliant. Going to try it in the dressing today.
We make this salad all of the time! My whole family loves it! We use Sun Butter because of allergies and it always turns out great!
Love this recipe!! Would you have any sides you would recommend serving it with?
My husband and I love this salad! I crave the dressing on the regular. It’s so good!!
SO. GOOD.
Just made this for my family for lunch and it was sooo good. Everyone loved it!
Holy smokes. This was -incredible-! It was just enough flavor to be a party on a plate without overwhelming my simple tastebuds; it came together quickly and easily, the dressing was delicious, and me and my husband talked about it the rest of the evening! It’s been added to our meal rotation and I just can’t wait for lunch when I get to eat it again 🙂
We swapped kale in for the purple cabbage, peanut butter and honey in place of almond butter and dates, and clementines in place of mandarin oranges and it. was. delicious.
This was phenomenal. And it packs really well. I mixed the cabbage/cilantro/nut mixture and put in a large container. Put the dressing and oranges in 2 small containers and put the cooled chicken in a zipper bag. Put the zipper bags and small containers in the large container with the cabbage. Added a fork and a napkin and had the whole things ready to go in one container for my 3 shifts this week. This is the first day I’ve had it and I’m so glad I’m getting to eat it again tomorrow and the next day. Perfect combo of sweet and savory, a great mixture of textures. Really just wonderful. This will definitely be in my regular rotation.