Keto Chinese Chicken Salad

Sharing is caring!

Keto Chinese Chicken Salad combines crisp salad vegetables with tender pieces of chicken, dressed with a tangy and flavorful Chinese salad dressing. This is a great tasting salad main that everyone in the family can enjoy.

Keto Chinese Chicken Salad

While I am not strictly following the “Keto” diet, I am trying to include more low carb/keto friendly meals into my diet throughout my week.

I try to intentionally plan to eat a salad 1-2 days per week for lunch, and I do like a variety to keep things interesting and not the same old thing all the time.

This Keto Chinese Chicken Salad is not only delicious but it is really quick to prepare and it makes one of the best tasting chicken salads I have ever eaten.

My healthy Chinese chicken salad recipe is packed with protein and delicious veggies that not only add to your 5-a-day, but also satisfy even the hungriest of diners.

How to make Keto Chinese Chicken Salad

• Start by making the Asian inspired salad dressing.
• In a small bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, ginger, and sesame oil.
• Whisk until fully combined. 
• Allow dressing to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes for flavors to blend while preparing the rest of the salad.
• You can also refrigerate this dressing for up to 4 days.

• To make the salad, get a large salad bowl and combine the cabbage, chicken, carrots, scallions, and cilantro. 
• Whisk up the salad dressing to recombine and drizzle over the salad.

• Toss everything until evenly coated. 
• Sprinkle with sesame seeds and optional chow mein noodles and serve.  

Recipe ingredients & substitutions:

Chicken chicken salad dressing:

• OIL: I use canola oil, but you can use any other light flavored oil.
• VINEGAR: I use a rice vinegar but you can use white wine vinegar as a good substitute.
• FLAVORING: I use a combination of hoisin sauce, soy sauce, ginger and toasted sesame oil to flavor this delicious Asian salad dressing.

Chicken salad ingredients:

• CHICKEN: I use cooked chicken in this recipe, it’s also a great way to use up leftover roast chicken from the weekends roast dinner. You can also use rotisserie chicken if feeding a crowd.
• VEGETABLES: I use a combination of napa cabbage, red cabbage, carrots and scallions in this salad.
• FRESH HERBS: Freshly chopped cilantro is also tossed through the salad.
• GARNISH: I like to garnish the salad with a sprinkle of sesame seeds, but this is entirely optional.
• NOODLES: You can add some crispy chow mein noodles, but this is optional and should be left off if follow a keto diet.

Recipe variations:

This is a delicious salad, packed full of flavor, but you can easily adapt the recipe to suit your own tastes. Here are some ideas:

• PROTEIN: I have used chicken, but you could use leftover ham, some cooked shrimps, or a boiled egg in this salad too.
• VEGGIES: Swap the veggies or add in any other vegetables that you and your family enjoy eating, for example tomatoes; cucumber; celery; radish; beetroot; red onion.
• FRESH HERBS: Swap the cilantro, for parsley or thai basil.
• CHILI HEAT: For those of you who love your food spicy, add some finely diced red chili to the salad.

Recipe hints & tips:

• To reduce the carbs in this salad, leave the noodles out of the salad.
• Make the Asian salad dressing earlier in the day and set aside in the refrigerator. This will allow the flavors to meld together, resulting in a better tasting dressing.
• Don’t dress the salad until you are ready to sit down or you risk the vegetables becoming soggy and loosing their bite.
• Feeding the whole family? For ease, buy a rotisserie chicken from your local store.

FAQs:

What is a Keto diet?

A keto diet or ketogenic diet is a diet that is low in carbohydrates (sugars) and high in fat.

Does Chinese Chicken Salad have carbs?

There are 16g of fiber and 2g of sugar in a portion of this salad.

Can I use both dark and white meat in this chicken salad?

Yes, absolutely, I waste nothing in my kitchen and this salad works well with both dark and white meat.

How long can you store the salad dressing?

Once combined this salad dressing can be stored in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, ready to add to freshly made salad. Just remember to whisk the dressing to combine again before adding to the salad.

Don’t miss these other delicious Salad Recipes here at When Is Dinner:

• Healthy Grilled Chicken Salad
• Asian Pasta Salad
• Snickers Apple Salad
• Southwest Spicy Chicken Salad

These are a few items I find helpful in my own kitchen when preparing this Keto Chinese Chicken Salad Recipe:

Pyrex Glass Mixing Bowl Set (3-Piece)PHILWIN Cutting Boards for Kitchen, Plastic Chopping Board Set of 5 with Non-Slip Feet and Deep Drip Juice Groove, Easy Grip Handle, BPA Free, Non-porous, Dishwasher SafeChef Knife – PAUDIN Pro Kitchen Knife 8 Inch Chef’s Knife N1 German High Carbon Stainless Steel Knife with Ergonomic Handle, Ultra Sharp, Best Choice for Home Kitchen & RestaurantCuisinart CTG-00-BG Boxed GraterLarge Stoneware Salad Serving Bowl, 78oz/11inch Embossed Multicolor Mexican Floral Design, with 2 Bamboo Salad HandsAsian Salads Book: The Ultimate Asian Salad Dressing Cookbook and Best Asian Salad Recipes You Will Ever Find!Saladish: A Crunchier, Grainier, Herbier, Heartier, Tastier Way with VegetablesEssential Wok Cookbook: A Simple Chinese Cookbook for Stir-Fry, Dim Sum, and Other Restaurant Favorites