Remember this easy, super flavorful Grilled Sesame Chicken that I published just yesterday? You guessed it — it’s time to put that chicken recipe to use with a brand new, fresh, crunchy, filling salad recipe.
This sesame chicken salad is packed with a rainbow of veggies, tossed with my go-to homemade sesame ginger dressing, and topped with that juicy grilled sesame chicken. The team and I had this salad for lunch after perfecting the recipe last month and omg we were OBSESSED with that incredible crunch and all of the wonderful flavors and textures.
It has the perfect amount of sweetness from the dressing and marinade, plus lovely savory elements from the grilled chicken and toasted nuts. Don’t forget the kick of heat from jalapeño and the perfect amount of freshness from cilantro and green onion! This salad is so easy to customize with your fav meat and plant-based proteins, so enjoy the perfect hearty lunch or dinner any day of the week.
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Ingredients in this sesame chicken salad
This gorgeous salad is filled with a rainbow of crunchy veggies, super flavorful grilled sesame chicken, and my go-to sesame ginger dressing. Here’s everything you’ll need to make it:
- Chicken: we’re using my new Grilled Sesame Chicken and adding it straight to the salad! See below for more protein options.
- Veggies: this sesame chicken salad is packed with shredded red and green cabbage, green onion, cilantro, carrots, red bell pepper, and jalapeño. So fresh and colorful.
- Dressing: you’ll be tossing everything in my famous Sesame Ginger Dressing that has the perfect balance of sweetness and tang.
- To serve: top the salad with some toasted sliced almonds (learn how to toast them below!), roasted cashews, sesame seeds, extra cilantro, green onion & jalapeño slices. I also like to add crispy wonton strips if I have them!
Can I make it vegan or vegetarian?
Yes! You can easily make a vegan sesame chicken salad by simply omitting the chicken or replacing it with:
- Cooked, cubed tofu (learn how to grill tofu here!)
- A can of rinsed, drained chickpeas
- Cooked edamame
More ways to customize this sesame chicken salad
Feel free to mix and match ingredients to truly make this salad your own! Here’s what I can recommend:
- Try a new dressing: I think this Healthy Thai-Inspired Peanut Dressing would be perfect.
- Add sweetness: feel free to add fruits like mandarin oranges, mango, or pineapple for delicious bites of sweetness.
- Pick your veggies: you can pretty much use any veggies you’d like in this salad. Shredded brussels sprouts, finely chopped broccoli, and even a leafy green like kale would be delicious.
- Go nut free: simply omit the almonds and cashews to keep the salad nut free.
- Choose a new protein: this salad would also be delicious with grilled shrimp or salmon! Feel free to marinate either one the same way that you marinate the chicken.
- Make it a wrap: looking to make the sesame chicken salad even heartier? Wrap it all up in a tortilla and enjoy it as a wrap!
How to toast almonds
You can easily toast your own almonds right at home for this salad, and there are two ways to do it: on the stovetop or in the oven!
- Stovetop method: add sliced almonds to a pan and place over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 2-5 minutes until almonds are slightly golden brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool before adding them to the salad.
- Oven method: preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place sliced almonds on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes until fragrant and golden brown, stirring once halfway through baking. Watch carefully so that nuts do not burn!
Make it a noodle party
This sesame chicken salad would also be delicious with cooked rice or ramen noodles tossed right in! You may want to reduce the amount of chopped veggies a bit so that the noodles shine through and soak up all of that delicious dressing.
Prep this salad ahead of time
If you’re looking to save some time, I’d recommend chopping up all of your veggies 1-2 days ahead of serving or eating the salad so that you can easily throw it together! You could also make the dressing 1-2 days ahead of time as well and store it separately in the fridge.
Storing tips
Store any leftover sesame chicken salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
More salad recipes to try
- High Protein Salads in Jars that Make the Perfect Lunch
- Spicy Ranch Chopped Chicken Cabbage Salad
- Spicy Cashew Chickpea Broccoli Salad with Ginger Peanut Dressing
- Grilled Carrot Arugula Salad with Fig, Goat Cheese & Avocado
- Herby Olive Italian Orzo Salad
Get all of my salad recipes here!
I hope you love this fresh & crunchy sesame chicken salad recipe! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Sesame Chicken Cabbage Crunch Salad
Ingredients
- For the chicken:
- Grilled Sesame Chicken
- For the salad:
- 4 cups shredded green cabbage
- 2 cups shredded red cabbage
- 1/2 cup diced green onion
- 3/4 cup freshly diced cilantro
- 1 cup shredded carrots (bagged or cut into matchsticks for excellent crunch!)
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly julienned
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
- For the dressing:
- 1 batch Sesame Ginger Dressing
- For serving:
- 1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds
- 1/3 cup roasted cashews halves
- Sesame seeds
- Extra cilantro
- Extra green onion
- A few jalapeno slices
- Optional: Crispy wonton strips
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken using this grilled sesame chicken recipe.
- Make the sesame ginger dressing. Set aside.
- Assemble the salad together: in a large bowl, add the green and red cabbage, green onion, cilantro, carrots, bell pepper and jalapeno. Pour dressing all over the salad and toss to combine and coat all the veggies. Cover and set aside while you bake or grill your chicken according to the recipe.
- Serve the salad: add salad to a large platter. Garnish with toasted sliced almonds, cashews, extra cilantro, a sprinkle of sesame seeds, a few jalapeno slices and some additional chopped green onion, if desired. I also love adding crispy wonton strips but that’s totally optional. Dig in! Serves 4 as a hearty main dish or 6 as a side dish.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
77 comments
cant wait to make this soon for me will use tofu instead as am a vegan and can i skip red bell pepper as am not a big fan of red bll pepper i never had sesame chicken salad before perfect for my after office meals love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
Tofu’s a great substitute! And totally fine to leave out the bell pepper 🙂 Enjoy!
Do you have a good way to shred cabbage, or is buying pre-shredded the way to go? I tried a food processor recently and ended up with really tiny bits of cabbage with some huge chunks left. Thought I would check!
Hi! Do you mean that you used the shredder disc attachment? I often use that. Or you could buy pre-shredded, or use a sharp chef’s knife to thinly slice it!
I made this for dinner tonight and my whole family including my kids -6, 11, & 13 loved it! It was crunchy and full of flavor! The chicken was so good too! We doubled the dressing recipe to make sure we had enough since I eye-balled all the cabbage and carrot amounts and probably ended up with more then the recipe called for. We also substituted a little liquid stevia whenever a sweetener was called for. I highly recommend and will be making it again soon! Thank you for another great recipe!
This salad is IN-CRE-DI-BLE!! Crunchy, saucy, zesty, and you even forget it’s healthy. My fiancee and I loved it and I’m adding it to our weekly rotation. Thank you!!!
Yay!! I’m so glad you both love this one! Thanks for the comment 🙂
This was outstanding! I marinated the chicken for 24 hours and then ran out of propane for my grill so pivoted to the air fryer which worked great! Really easy and flavorful with lots of leftovers. Yum!
So glad the air fryer worked out well! One of our new fav recipes 🙂
Delicious. Is your nutrition information based on 1 serving?
Glad you enjoyed! Yes, it is.
I’ve been craving vegetables lately, and I knew I needed to make this recipe when I saw it. I’m generally not a fan of tahini, but it’s so good in this! The chicken is flavorful–my 9 year old smelled it cooking and immediately asked for some when it was done. I will most definitely be eating this all week, which I’m not mad at at all.
Love that! Perfect way to get those veggies in 🙂
Huge hit at my dinner party! Chicle. Was delicious and everyone is asking for the recipe.
I am making this today for the second time in 2 weeks. I told my husband I could honestly eat it every day, it’s SO good! (You have to make the chicken with it too- yum!) I have been using a premixed bag of cabbage/carrots for coleslaw instead of chopping up my own cabbage and carrots just to save on time.
Yay!! I’m SO glad you’re loving it, Emilee!
Amazing, and so flavorful. I added diced mango an let it sit with the salad dressing for about 40 mins in the fridge.
Mmm mango sounds like such a good addition! Monique, I made this salad, needing some veggies after heavy holiday meals. It’s so light and crunchy and delicious. I baked the chicken bc I don’t grill in January in MN but that would be amazing.
Yum! Sounds amazing! 🙂
Delish! Looove the flavours in this salad 🤤 I added the wonton crisps for the extra crunch!
Would maybe mix half the salad and half the dressing next time and then mix the other half closer to eating it…just to keep it crunchy as it does get a little watery after sitting mixed in the fridge.
Hi! Is there a good grain I could pair this with or throw in so its a little more filling for dinner?
You could make these as wraps for a little more filling option.
This is it. This is the best salad of all time. I have been eating it for 2 weeks straight and I still crave it. It’s perfectly flavorful and balanced. Absolutely addicting.
Salads are always good but they are SO much more fun to eat when they explode with color and flavor like this one does. This will be on my favorite recipe list for sure…..thank you!
My fiance said it best, this recipe is “top-tier.” SO flavorful and crunchy and delicious. I don’t normally do salads for dinner, but this one will become a regular! Great leftovers for lunch the next couple of days. I couldn’t find any red cabbage, so used all green, and it’s awesome. Thanks, Monique!!
This salad it is definitely a 10 out of 10. I didn’t make it with the chicken, but it’s so great just on its own or topped with some avocado. It kept really well overnight and I served it with salmon filet on day 2 for another amazing meal.
Not only is this one of the prettiest salads I’ve ever made/eaten, it is also one of the tastiest! And I didn’t even add the chicken (although I did review the sesame chicken recipe and it sounds divine as well!) My only modification was equal parts red and green cabbage, and I did not have the reduced sodium soy sauce for the dressing so used regular and it was not too salty at all. Way to go Monique with another home run recipe!
Excellent! Glad this recipe is a hit 🙂
I cook a LOT and this is one of the most delicious things I’ve EVER made. Ohmygosh, absolutely spectacular!!!!
AW yay! I am so excited to hear that you are loving this recipe and it turned out great for you ❤️
WOW! You NEVER disappoint! We omitted the jalapeños as the ginger was enough kick. Also subbed garlic sesame sticks for the wontons. So easy with available ingredients. THANKS!
Made this for meal prep this week and it is delicious. I can’t get over how much I love the chicken and the salad dressing. Plus a nice refreshing change to have cabbage instead of lettuce salads! This is definitely going in the rotation!
Yay! I am so glad this recipe turned out great for you, perfect spring / summer meal prep.
So delish!!! Will definitely make it
again!
so glad you are enjoying this salad!
This salad is fantastic!! I included rice vermicelli and made a double batch of the dressing to compensate. I’m sharing the recipe with all my friends! Thanks for this:-)
YUM! I am so glad you are enjoying this salad, Gena. Thanks so much for sharing ❤️
I make this often and especially in summer, it’s one of our absolute favorites
Yay!! I’m so happy to hear that, Ashley, thank you!
Will be trying this tempting salad over weekend . Looks wow 😯
So excited for you to try it!!
She is not kidding when she says this is the best salad you’ll ever eat. Since finding this recipe I have made this religiously once a week for months and still crave it when I don’t have any. It is the perfect balance and the dressing is amazing. I’ve brought it to multiple pot lucks and it always gets scooped up.
So happy to hear that, Courtney! I seriously can’t stop making it myself ha – SO good.
Made this for dinner last night and my extremely picky partner said, “I wouldn’t mind having more dinners like this.” High praise, indeed! I pounded the chicken breasts to an even thickness before marinating, and cooked them in the air fryer at 360 for 12 minutes – it was a little overcooked so next time I’ll try 10 minutes. Can’t wait to eat the leftovers for lunch today. Thank you for sharing and helping us to eat healthy without sacrificing pleasure!
Ahhh that’s such a big compliment! Yay!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
So flavorful! This will make it into our weekly salad prep rotation for sure.
Amazing! So glad you loved it!
I made this salad last night and it was delicious! My husband and I both loved it. It will be on our rotation now.
YUM! I am so glad you gave this salad a try and you both loved it 🙂
So easy and delicious!! Recommending this salad to everyone! And the dressing, so good!
YAY! Glad you’re loving this salad, Kate 🙂
Delicious lunch! Easy to put together. I used the cruciferous crunch salad mix from Trader Joe’s as my salad base.
Oooh love that shortcut!! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
I only had time to marinate for 45 minutes or so but that still gave plenty of flavor. This was a great big dinner salad that we’ll be making again. I might add sriracha to the dressing next time for a little extra spice!
Perfect! Love the idea of adding an extra kick of heat, too.
I make a lot of recipes from Pinterest and rating one 5 stars is rare, but this recipe was amazing! I made the marinade and the dressing that was recommended. They were both delicious. The only changes I made were because I didn’t have some of the ingredients, so I added some rice noodles to fill it out. I just had purple cabbage, green onions, carrots and red bell peppers. As for cooking, I made foil packets and poured the marinade in them. They were done on 30 minutes and it infused the taste perfectly! This recipe will definitely go into our dinner rotation. My husband and daughter loved it too.
So glad you loved this one! It’s great for customizing with ingredients you have on hand, too 🙂
Oh man! So glad I made this tonight. It was absolutely delicious. My husband and I inhaled it. So glad I marinated and grilled the chicken according to the sesame ginger chicken recipe. We will definitely be making this again. So fresh and flavorful!
One of our fav salads, too! Glad you both enjoyed!
I made it for dinner tonight and everyone raved. We marinated chicken breasts for 1 hr then grilled….the marinade is so, so tasty! I added tahini to the dressing as suggested and toasted the almonds/cashews in a skillet with a little toasted sesame oil and salt. This dish is amazing!
Love that! Perfect hearty salad for dinner 🙂
This salad is AMAZING!! I just made it for lunch, and yum! I even forgot to put the red pepper in – I was hungry😉
Subbed balsamic for the rice vinegar, fyi.
Thanks for the recipe!!
Perfect! Glad you loved it!
Delicious & bright flavor.
Glad you enjoyed!
DELICIOUS! Followed this to a T (minus cilantro) and it was amazing. I love having a salad prepped that doesn’t go soggy in the fridge.
Gotta have that crunch! This is one of my favs to prep for the week, too 🙂
Amazing salad! I swapped a little agave for the brown sugar in the chicken and it turned out so tasty! I also added some peas to the salad and it was a hit with my family. I’ll be making this on repeat!
Perfect! So glad it was a hit!
This is a 10 out of 10! I have made this salad three times in the last two weeks because my husband absolutely loves it and he is not a salad guy nor does he like nuts in salad. I served it at a potluck and it received rave reviews. It is not a simple salad to make because there are many parts but it is well worth the effort. My number one favorite salad.
This is an awesome revipe.It’s perfect for a hot summer day. I made it as written and added soba noodles. So versatile! I am making it again today and adding edamame.
Great idea to add soba noodles! Glad you loved it!
I have a question. Is this the kind of salad I could add a bit of farro or quinoa to? Thank you
Hmm the texture might be a little strange as the cabbage and veggies are chopped sort of “long,” but I’m never opposed to throwing in a grain!
Such a hearty meal salad. My husband loves it too. I especially love the dressing.
Oh my goodness! I love to cook and rarely follow recipes exactly. Part of what I love is to make delicious things on my own — a little of this, a little of that and be creative. But with Asian flavors I just don’t have as much confidence to modify and play with ingredients. So I followed your recipe exactly and boy am I glad I did! I will make this again and again. And your ginger dressing is the best I have EVER had — I’m obsessed and am now making it in the blender (quadrupled) so I can have it on hand for salads, wraps, or just drinking it straight (kidding. kinda.)! Thank you for an exceptional recipe. I’ll be trying out others based on how delicious this was!
Amazing!! So happy you found this recipe 🙂