Sesame Chicken Salad

This Sesame Chicken Salad recipe is perfectly crunchy, creamy, sweet, savory, and tossed with my favorite quick sesame vinaigrette.

Meet the crispy, crunchy, fresh and flavorful sesame chicken salad that I have made a million times over the years. And will surely continue to make a million more. ♡

What can I say — I will always love a good green salad with sesame vinaigrette!

That said, while I’ve mixed and matched many different ingredients to go in this basic salad over the years, I have to say that this is the classic combo that just works for me. We’re talkin’ lots of crisp salad greens (either a basic cabbage coleslaw or some crisp shredded Romaine), whatever shredded or diced chicken you have on hand (I most often shred a rotisserie or make some baked chicken breasts), lots of creamy diced avocado, crunchy shredded carrots, a generous helping of fresh cilantro and green onions, toasty sliced almonds, and my go-to simple sesame vinaigrette.

All together, these simple ingredients combine to create a light, bright, and perfectly-balanced green salad that I always find to be so satisfying. And it always, always hits the spot.

Who’s ready for some salad?!

Sesame Chicken Salad Ingredients:

Alright, a few quick notes about what’s in this sesame chicken salad recipe…

• Coleslaw: To make things easy, just grab a bag of coleslaw mix. Or, you are welcome shred your own cabbage (green, red, or a blend) or some sort of lettuce (Romaine is great here).
• Chicken: Diced, shredded, or whatever you happen to have on hand! I used some diced baked chicken breasts that I had in the freezer, but you could also grill chicken or shred a rotisserie.
• Cilantro: I seem to add more and more cilantro every time I make this salad, and love the fresh flavor it adds here. That said, if you have an aversion to cilantro, feel free to just leave it out.
• Green onions: I thinly-sliced a few green onions for this recipe. But you could also thinly-slice or dice red onions instead.
• Sliced or slivered almonds: Which I highly recommend toasting briefly before adding them to the salad, to bring out their best flavor. I just spread mine out on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 5-8 minutes until they are lightly toasted and fragrant. (You could also toast them in a skillet on the stovetop.)
• Shredded carrots: To add some extra color and crunch.
• Avocado: To add some extra creaminess.
• Sesame seeds: White, black or a blend of both — which we will use as a garnish to add some extra sesame flavor and crunch.
• Sesame vinaigrette: Made with oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, maple syrup (or honey), toasted sesame oil, ground ginger, garlic and black pepper.

How To Make This Salad:

Easy breezy! To make this salad, simply…

1. Make the vinaigrette: Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl (or shake together in a mason jar) until combined.
2. Toss the salad: Combine the coleslaw, chicken, cilantro, green onions, almonds, carrots and avocado togehter in a large mixing bowl, drizzle with the vinaigrette, and toss until combined
3. Serve: Serve the salad immediately, sprinkled with sesame seeds as a garnish.

Possible Variations:

Want to customize this sesame salad a bit? Feel free to…

• Use a different protein: Shrimp, steak, salmon, pork, or tofu would all be delicious substitutions for the chicken.
• Use different greens: Chopped Romaine or other lettuces or cabbages would also work well in this salad.
• Use different nuts: Peanuts or cashew would also be great substitutions for almonds.
• Add fruit: Diced mango, pineapple, oranges, pears, or Mandarin oranges would all be great in this salad too.
• Add crunchy noodles or wonton strips: Crunchy chow mein noodles or crispy fried wonton strips would also give this salad some delicious extra crunch.
• Make it vegetarian: Feel free to use crispy baked tofu or any other plant-based proteins in place of the chicken. Or just skip the extra protein entirely.
• Make it gluten-free: Just be sure to use gluten-free tamari in place of soy sauce.

Sesame Chicken Salad

4.80 from 20 votes

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Makes: 4 -6 servings

Author: Ali

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This Sesame Chicken Salad recipe is perfectly crunchy, creamy, sweet, savory, and tossed with a yummy sesame vinaigrette.

Equipment

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  Sliced Almonds
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  Ground Ginger
• ▢
  Toasted Sesame Oil

Ingredients

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Salad Ingredients:

• 1 (14-ounce) bag coleslaw (or 7 cups shredded cabbage)
• 2 cups diced or shredded cooked chicken
• 1 cup loosely-packed chopped cilantro
• 2/3 cup sliced green onions
• 2/3 cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
• toasted sesame seeds, for sprinkling.

Sesame Vinaigrette Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons avocado oil (or olive oil)
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce (or tamari)
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 small garlic clove, pressed or minced (or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder)
• a few twists of freshly-cracked black pepper

Instructions

• ▢
  Make the vinaigrette: Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl (or shake together in a mason jar) until combined.
• ▢
  Toss the salad: Combine the coleslaw, chicken, cilantro, green onions, almonds, carrots and avocado togehter in a large mixing bowl, drizzle with the vinaigrette, and toss until combined
• ▢
  Serve: Serve the salad immediately, sprinkled with sesame seeds as a garnish.

Additional Info

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!