Sesame Chicken Salad is a vibrant and refreshing salad featuring tender, marinated chicken breast atop a crisp mix of lettuce, shredded cabbage, and fresh cucumber slices. Tossed with fragrant cilantro and crunchy toasted almonds, then drizzled with a rich miso sesame dressing that ties it all together with savory, nutty depth. Light, satisfying, and packed with bold Asian-inspired flavors.
This recipe is super easy because the dressing is also the chicken marinade so you only have to make one mixture instead of two. You can cook the chicken however you prefer, or you could also use shredded rotisserie chicken and skip the marinade step to save time. I love a good healthy weeknight salad for dinner, and this recipe is delicious.
Check out my many other main dish salads here too. This dressing is the key to making this salad really interesting, and a lot of grocery chains carry both sesame oil and miso paste these days.
Sesame Chicken Salad
Ingredients
For the dressing/marinade (if you are not making the chicken, use half):
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup white or mixed miso paste
- 6 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger finely minced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup minced shallot
- 6 tbsp water
For the salad:
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts each breast cut into 3 peices
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- 3 cups coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds toasted
- toasted sesame seeds optional
Instructions
- In a small blender, combine the oil, water, miso, vinegar, salt, sesame oil, honey, ginger, and garlic and shallot. Blend until smooth. Pour half the marinade over the chicken pieces and save half in an airtight container in the fridge for the dressing.
- Coat the chicken well and marinate for 1-4 hours. Cook the chicken either in the air fryer, on the stove top, in the oven or on a grill. I cooked mine in an air fryer on the air fry setting for 10 minutes at 350, and then broil for about 5-8 minutes until nicely browned and cooked through.
- Layer your lettuce, cabbage, cucumbers, and cilantro on a plate. Top with chicken and drizzle dressing all over. Add the toasted almonds and toasted sesame seeds if needed.