This oriental chicken salad is vibrant with both freshness and flavor! It’s refreshing and hearty at the same time and my whole family loves it! It’s the perfect light meal and would be awesome on a hot summer night!
This salad has tender mixed greens, crispy fried wonton chips or rice noodles, purple cabbage, shredded carrots, honey roasted slivered almonds, mandarin oranges, chicken, sesame seeds and more with a sesame dressing.
This salad was inspired by my Instagram community, when I asked for favorite salads one of my followers suggested this salad, which they get from Porcupine which is a restaurant in the Salt Lake City, Utah area.
I have never been or tried the salad in the restaurant so I had to do a little guess work. So because I take the word copycat very seriously, if I am going to call something a copycat, it needs to taste like the restaurants version and I am pretty strict on that. So since I haven’t tried the original, I don’t think I can fully say this is a copycat but it should taste very similar!
I did add cilantro and green onions to mine, which the restaurant does not have listed as an ingredient, but I love the freshness that these bring to any oriental salad. So if you want a really close restaurant copy then don’t add them but you won’t regret it if you do add them.
At any rate, copycat or not, it is super delicious and my whole family loves it!
Here is what you need to make this oriental chicken salad: (printable recipe card is below)
Serves 2-4 – 2 as a main entrée, 4 as a side
The Honey Roasted Almonds:
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt or a generous pinch
For the Sesame Salad dressing:
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoons grapeseed or avocado oil – or any other flavor neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 2 1/2 tablespoons vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- pinch of salt
For the Salad:
- 4 generous handfuls mixed greens
- 1 1/2 cups shredded purple cabbage
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup mandarin oranges – the jarred ones, liquid drained
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 cup cooked chicken – chopped, I love rotisserie or grilled chicken
- 1/2 cup crispy rice noodles or 3 wonton wrappers cut into strips and fried
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro – optional
- 1 green onion – thinly sliced, optional
Instructions
- To make the almonds; Add almonds, honey, sugar and salt to a nonstick pan and heat on medium heat.
- Stir until sugar begins to melt, when almonds are fully covered, remove from heat and transfer to a non-stick or parchment paper lined plate and let them cool.
- To make the salad dressing; add all ingredients into a blender or bowl and blend or whisk together until well combined.
- If making fried wonton strips, cut wonton wrappers into strips and fry in a pan with oil until crisp.
- To assemble the salad; add the mixed greens, purple cabbage, carrots, oranges, sesame seeds, chicken, rice noodles, cilantro and green onions.
- Top with dressing and enjoy.
Here are a few other salads you may also love:
- Blackened Salmon Caesar Salad
- Chicken Raspberry Nut Salad
- Chicken Bacon Avocado Salad
- Mediterranean Salad
- Wild Rice and Kale Salad
- Rainbow Crunch Chopped Salad
Oriental Chicken Salad
Ingredients
For the honey roasted almonds
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt or a generous pinch
For the Sesame Salad dressing
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoons grapeseed or avocado oil – or any other flavor neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 2 1/2 tablespoons vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- pinch of salt
For the salad
- 4 generous handfuls mixed greens
- 1 1/2 cups shredded purple cabbage
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup mandarin oranges – the jarred ones liquid drained
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 cup cooked chicken – chopped I love rotisserie or grilled chicken
- 1/2 cup crispy rice noodles or 3 wonton wrappers cut into strips and fried
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro – optional
- 1 green onion – thinly sliced optional
Instructions
- To make the almonds; Add almonds, honey, sugar and salt to a nonstick pan and heat on medium heat.
- Stir until sugar begins to melt, when almonds are fully covered, remove from heat and transfer to a non-stick or parchment paper lined plate and let them cool.
- To make the salad dressing; add all ingredients into a blender or bowl and blend or whisk together until well combined.
- If making fried wonton strips, cut wonton wrappers into strips and fry in a pan with oil until crisp.
- To assemble the salad; add the mixed greens, purple cabbage, carrots, oranges, sesame seeds, chicken, rice noodles, cilantro and green onions.
- Top with dressing and enjoy.