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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…
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.
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.
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.
Maybe a little more dressing. I only got a good taste of the flavor every second or third bite but it’s a great salad! It was very well received by the whole family! Another great salad by Gimmesomeoven! Thank you!
Phenomenal salad! Just made it for lunch today for me and my husband, who doesn’t always love raw veggies, but he loved this salad. It was soooo delicious, refreshing, and filling. Totally hit the spot- Thanks Ali!
This salad recipe caught my eye as something my family would enjoy and most certainly didn’t disappoint. It is fresh, light, crunchy and delicious. I did double the dressing recipe and didn’t feel like it was too much for the salad ingredients. I would suggest waiting until right before serving to toss the salad and would hold the toasted almonds until the very end to achieve ultimate crispness. This recipe truly is a winner. I will be making it often, especially during the summer months. Thank you, Ali!
So delicious! After a couple other commenters recommended more dressing, I made 1.5x the amount written and thought it was great – I personally would have found doubling the dressing to be too much. I definitely plan on making it again and look forward to riffing on it with other toppings in the future!
Delicious! We subbed cashews for almonds and didn’t have any green onions; however, it was so tasty! The texture was so satisfying: crunchy and fresh and perfect for summer. I think mandarins would be perfect in this too. I was hoping for leftovers, but it was gobbled up in one night!
Triple the dressing. It needs more and you will want some for another time. I also added romaine to make it stretch for a crowd. I also cut up Napa. I do not like to use bags of coleslaw mix because it stinks, and therefore, will also have an old taste. This is a very good salad. For dessert serve fresh berries and cream
I have made this 4 times in the past 2 months (skipping the cilantro because I never have it on hand) and it’s SO GOOD. The perfect summer salad! I’m guessing this will get made two or so more times before fall rolls in.
I really liked this but my husband and 15 year old thought it was okay. I used a bag of coleslaw and added some romaine lettuce, made the baked chicken from the attachment, and used sliced almonds. I also doubled the dressing. We have plenty of salad left over for lunch tomorrow. Will definitely make it again.
Does anyone recommend seasoning to use for the chicken? Looks delicious, I am planning on baking chicken breasts with salt and pepper and am wondering if I should add anything else?
Kelli P —
I use the vinaigrette to marinade the chicken and cook it in a skillet on the stovetop and it’s delicious. I make a second batch of vinaigrette for the salad and that’s plenty for us. Enjoy!
I love this salad! I’m not sure whether coleslaw mix is a thing here in Scotland since I couldn’t find it; I used romaine lettuce and a bit of purple cabbage instead. I also used tuna instead of chicken and apple cider vinegar since I had no rice vinegar. So good! It’s worth the effort and keeps well in the fridge. I’ll definitely be making it again. Thanks Ali!
Delicious and fresh. Made this for lunch in keeping with my E2M meal plan. I have had it for lunch everyday since. Definitely a must-have recipe for anyone practicing clean eating.
Earnestine —
Btw, I used chopped romaine in place of the slaw mix.
Maybe a little more dressing. I only got a good taste of the flavor every second or third bite but it’s a great salad! It was very well received by the whole family! Another great salad by Gimmesomeoven! Thank you!
Made for lunch today. Outstanding!
Phenomenal salad! Just made it for lunch today for me and my husband, who doesn’t always love raw veggies, but he loved this salad. It was soooo delicious, refreshing, and filling. Totally hit the spot- Thanks Ali!
Wow! I loved the salad recipe! i will try it
I am a big fan of this type of salads
Delicious! We loved everything about this – crunch, fresh flavor, tangy. It’s a keeper just like most of your other recipes Ali!
This salad recipe caught my eye as something my family would enjoy and most certainly didn’t disappoint. It is fresh, light, crunchy and delicious. I did double the dressing recipe and didn’t feel like it was too much for the salad ingredients. I would suggest waiting until right before serving to toss the salad and would hold the toasted almonds until the very end to achieve ultimate crispness. This recipe truly is a winner. I will be making it often, especially during the summer months. Thank you, Ali!
So delicious! After a couple other commenters recommended more dressing, I made 1.5x the amount written and thought it was great – I personally would have found doubling the dressing to be too much. I definitely plan on making it again and look forward to riffing on it with other toppings in the future!
Delicious! We subbed cashews for almonds and didn’t have any green onions; however, it was so tasty! The texture was so satisfying: crunchy and fresh and perfect for summer. I think mandarins would be perfect in this too. I was hoping for leftovers, but it was gobbled up in one night!
Triple the dressing. It needs more and you will want some for another time. I also added romaine to make it stretch for a crowd. I also cut up Napa. I do not like to use bags of coleslaw mix because it stinks, and therefore, will also have an old taste. This is a very good salad. For dessert serve fresh berries and cream
Picked up broccoli slaw by mistake so used it. It was great. Think I will double the dressing next time.
I have made this 4 times in the past 2 months (skipping the cilantro because I never have it on hand) and it’s SO GOOD. The perfect summer salad! I’m guessing this will get made two or so more times before fall rolls in.
I really liked this but my husband and 15 year old thought it was okay. I used a bag of coleslaw and added some romaine lettuce, made the baked chicken from the attachment, and used sliced almonds. I also doubled the dressing. We have plenty of salad left over for lunch tomorrow. Will definitely make it again.
Excellent! How many calories?
So delicious! Thanks for the recipe. I added edamame and kale to make it more filling.
Sooo delicious!
Does anyone recommend seasoning to use for the chicken? Looks delicious, I am planning on baking chicken breasts with salt and pepper and am wondering if I should add anything else?
I use the vinaigrette to marinade the chicken and cook it in a skillet on the stovetop and it’s delicious. I make a second batch of vinaigrette for the salad and that’s plenty for us. Enjoy!
I love this salad! I’m not sure whether coleslaw mix is a thing here in Scotland since I couldn’t find it; I used romaine lettuce and a bit of purple cabbage instead. I also used tuna instead of chicken and apple cider vinegar since I had no rice vinegar. So good! It’s worth the effort and keeps well in the fridge. I’ll definitely be making it again. Thanks Ali!
It was a delicious BBQ crowd pleaser. Added BBQ chucken!
Absolutely delicious. I also made extra dressing and it was so good. Going to keep this recipe handy!!
Omg this is delicious! I added some mandarin sliced drained from a can yummy. Toasted Almonds! Hit all the notes I was craving! Thank you.
Delicious and fresh. Made this for lunch in keeping with my E2M meal plan. I have had it for lunch everyday since. Definitely a must-have recipe for anyone practicing clean eating.
Btw, I used chopped romaine in place of the slaw mix.
Can I put broccoli in this Sald if I do have avocado