Sesame Ginger Chicken Salad recipe with marinated Asian chicken, cabbage, spinach, carrot, cashews, dried cranberries, a delicious peanut dressing, and more! This healthy chicken salad is loaded with nutrients, flavor, and yummy textures.
This amazing, crunchy Sesame Ginger Chicken Salad recipe was inspired by my Thai Chicken Chopped Salad and my Healthy Chinese Chicken Salad!
If you’re into crunchy, huge and filling salads, you’re going to go wild over this easy healthy Asian chicken salad recipe!
It is loaded with fresh crunchy vegetables like green and purple cabbage, carrot, bell peppers, green onion, and spinach and topped with perfectly tender and juicy sesame ginger chicken thighs, crunchy cashews, sweet dried cranberries and an otherworldly peanut dressing!
The combination of fresh ingredients results in the absolute best chicken salad!
We’re getting an array of textures and flavors for a filling yet simultaneously light meal out of this sesame chicken salad.
The crunchy cabbage, sweet carrots, crispy cashews, tangy dried cranberries, and perfectly cooked tender chicken come together like magic when embraced by that amazing peanut vinaigrette.
It makes healthy eating marvelously delicious!
For the chicken portion of the recipe, I make my Asian Baked Chicken Thighs, which have been my go-to whenever I’m in the mood for chicken. They always turn out with so much flavor and are so tender.
In addition, this salad is HUGE! For most people, it will feed four individuals comfortably as an entrée salad, ideal for serving the whole family or guests.
For those who have a big appetite, it will fill up two hungry people as a main dish.
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for this delicious healthy chicken salad recipe!
Ingredients for Sesame Ginger Chicken Salad:
Sesame Ginger Chicken Ingredients: Chicken thighs, avocado oil, sesame oil, fish sauce, garlic, pure maple syrup, liquid aminos (or coconut aminos or soy sauce), sriracha, ground ginger, and rice vinegar.
The easy Asian marinade for the chicken results in a sweet, savory, umami tender chicken.
While I like using boneless skinless chicken thighs, you can use boneless breasts instead if you prefer.
Salad Ingredients: Green cabbage, purple cabbage, red bell pepper, carrots, green onions, roasted cashews, and dried cranberries make up the fresh salad.
You can add any of your favorite salad ingredients, like avocado, feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, almonds, pumpkin seeds, fresh strawberries or blueberries, etc.
Sesame Ginger Dressing Ingredients: Avocado oil (or olive oil), sesame oil, peanut butter, liquid aminos, rice vinegar, fresh garlic, fresh ginger, pure maple syrup.
This combination of ingredients for the salad dressing results in the most incredible vinaigrette! It has sweet and tangy flavors and makes your salad greens taste rich and inviting.
The salty soy, rich sesame oil and fresh flavor of ginger combined with enticing peanut butter makes a delicious dressing for this Asian sesame salad.
Use it as a dressing for all your green salads or even as a marinade for chicken or fish.
At first glance, it will seem like there are a lot of ingredients involved in this recipe. Rest assured, there is a great deal of crossover between the chicken marinade and the salad dressing.
In addition, most of them are refrigerator or pantry ingredients you likely already have on hand.
Customize this salad to your heart’s delight. Here are some suggestions for easy swaps and substitutions.
Recipe Adaptations:
- If you have a favorite chicken recipe, you can put it into practice here instead of following my Asian Baked Boneless Chicken Thighs recipe. You can always use store-bought rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken.
- As an alternative, make my Baked Honey Lime Chicken Thighs, Lemon Garlic Air Fryer Boneless Chicken Thighs, or Honey Garlic Baked Chicken Thighs. All are great options!
- Grill chicken in a grill pan or cook it in a skillet over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add in your favorite fresh vegetables, fresh fruit or dried fruit, nuts or seeds. Mandarin oranges are great here!
- Swap the cabbages out for any type of salad greens such as spring green mix, power greens, romaine lettuce, etc. You can also replace them with shaved brussels sprouts.
- Just add avocado!
- If you love spicy food, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of spicy sriracha to the salad dressing.
- Whip up your own dressings to go with this salad.
- Make it a steak salad by making my Marinated Skirt Steak.
- Salmon lovers, make My Go-To Crispy Salmon Recipe.
- You can always minimize the prep by using store-bought dressing. There are plenty of brands that make delicious sesame dressings that are fairly comparable, although I must admit there is nothing like the dressing in this recipe!
- Swap the cashews for sliced almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds.
- Add chow mein noodles to make a noodle salad.
Now that we’ve covered the healthy ingredients for this amazing dinner salad, let’s make it!
How to Make Sesame Ginger Chicken Salad:
Prepare the Peanut Salad Dressing:
Combine all of the ingredients for the dressing in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Store in an airtight jar or container in the refrigerator until ready to use. Dressing stays fresh for up to 1 week.
Make the Chicken:
Add all of the ingredients for the marinade (everything but the chicken) to a small bowl and whisk until well-combined.
Transfer the boneless chicken thighs to a zip lock bag or a small container along with the marinade. Seal it and move everything around until the chicken is coated in marinade. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, ideally several hours (up to 24 hours).
In addition to making the chicken thighs flavorful, marinating them will also help tenderize them.
When you’re ready to bake the chicken thighs, preheat the oven to 420 degrees F.
Transfer the chicken, including the marinade to a large casserole dish or large rimmed baking sheet or baking dish. Bake the chicken thighs for 15 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the oven and baste it thoroughly by spooning the juices over top of the breasts. Adjust the oven to the High Broil setting and broil the chicken for 5 to 8 minutes, or until it is golden brown and the juices have begun to caramelize. Spoon the juices over the chicken again.
Transfer the chicken thighs to a cutting board and allow them to cool for at least 10 minutes.
Use a sharp knife to cut the thighs into strips. Note: you can serve the chicken hot or transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate it until chilled if you prefer your chicken cold.
Make the Salad:
Thinly slice the green cabbage and red cabbage, chop the spinach, bell pepper, and green onion, and grate the carrots. Add all of the chopped veggies to a large mixing bowl along with the dried cranberries and cashews.
Pour all of the dressing over the salad ingredients (or use the amount that you want). Toss the salad until everything is coated in dressing.
Serve the salad with sliced Asian chicken thighs on top with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
The next time you’re craving a recipe for chicken salad, bring this one up to bat! I’m willing to bet it will become a household staple for busy weeknights.
An excellent addition to weekly meal prep meals, this salad is a great recipe to put on constant rotation.
Looking for more filling salad recipes? Check these out!
More Healthy Salad Recipes:
- Crispy Chicken Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
- Mediterranean Salmon Salad
- Waldorf Chicken Salad
- Greek Salmon Salad
- Steak Salad with Berries Avocado and Goddess Dressing
- My Current Favorite Salad Recipe
Enjoy this big, filling salad!
Sesame Ginger Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Sesame Ginger Chicken:
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut aminos or soy sauce
- 2 tsp sriracha optional
- 3 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp sea salt to taste
Salad Ingredients:
- 4 cups green cabbage thinly sliced
- 3 cups purple cabbage thinly sliced
- 2 cups baby spinach or spring greens, romaine lettuce, or greens of choice, chopped
- 2 cups grated carrot
- 1 red bell pepper cut into matchsticks
- 5 green onions chopped
- 1 cup roasted cashews
- ½ cup dried cranberries
Peanut Salad Dressing:
- ¼ cup avocado oil or olive oil
- 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 Tbsp peanut butter almond butter, tahini, or sunflower seed butter
- 3 Tbsp liquid aminos or soy sauce
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 small clove garlic peeled
- 2 tsp fresh ginger peeled and grated
Instructions
Prepare the Peanut Salad Dressing:
- Combine all of the ingredients for the dressing in a blender (such as a Magic Bullet or Nutribullet) or food processor and blend until smooth.
- Store in an airtight jar or container in the refrigerator until ready to use. Dressing stays fresh for up to 1 week.
Make the Chicken:
- Add all of the ingredients for the marinade (everything but the chicken) to a small bowl and whisk until well-combined. You can also use a small blender for this step.
- Transfer the boneless chicken thighs to a zip lock bag or a small container along with the marinade. Seal it and move everything around until the chicken is coated in marinade. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, ideally several hours (up to 24 hours).
- When you’re ready to bake the chicken thighs, preheat the oven to 420 degrees F. Transfer the chicken, including the marinade to a large casserole dish or large rimmed baking sheet or baking dish. Bake the chicken thighs for 15 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and baste it thoroughly by spooning the juices over top of the breasts. Adjust the oven to the High Broil setting and broil the chicken for 5 to 8 minutes, or until it is golden brown and the juices have begun to caramelize. Spoon the juices over the chicken again.
- Transfer the chicken thighs to a cutting board and allow them to cool for at least 10 minutes. Use a sharp knife to cut the thighs into strips. Note: you can serve the chicken hot or transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate it until chilled if you prefer your chicken cold.
Make the Salad:
- Thinly slice the green cabbage and red cabbage, chop the spinach, bell pepper, and green onion, and grate the carrots. Add all of the chopped veggies to a large mixing bowl along with the dried cranberries and cashews.
- Pour all of the dressing over the salad ingredients (or use the amount that you want). Toss the salad until everything is coated in dressing.
- Serve the salad with sliced Asian chicken thighs on top with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
Nutrition
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
I made the salad without the chicken. It’s great! I will definitely make this again, and again.
I’m so happy you enjoy it, Connie! My family loves it too!
Did I miss adding ginger to the chicken marinade? Didn’t see it on the recipe.
Thanks for catching that, Philip! I use 1 teaspoons of ground ginger in the marinade and 2 teaspoons of fresh ginger in the dressing. I just updated the recipe 🙂 Hope you enjoy!! xo
This salad is so delicious, flavorful, and healthy. My other half couldn’t get enough and was still picking at it after he was full. This is one recipe to make over and over again.
I’m so happy you enjoy it! Definitely a great one to put on constant rotation 🙂 xoxo