In this Asian chicken salad recipe, colorful veggies, marinated chicken and lettuce are tossed in a delicious homemade dressing. It's bursting with flavor and so much more delicious than any restaurant salad!
In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Add water as needed to thin it out. Set aside at room temperature or if you make it a day in advance, store it in a glass jar with a lid in the refrigerator.
Marinate the Chicken
In a small bowl, whisk together the marinade ingredients. Put the chicken in a Ziplock bag and pour the marinade into the bag. Marinade in the refrigerator for up to 5 hours, or at room temperature for 1 hour.
Grill the Chicken
After the chicken is marinated, preheat a grill to around 450 degrees F. Grill the chicken on the first side for 3-4 minutes, flip and grill on the second side until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F. The cook time will depend on the thickness of your chicken. Let cool slightly before slicing to use on the salad.
Assemble the Salad
Combine the lettuce, carrots, cilantro, green onion and edamame in a large bowl.
Top with cashews, wonton strips and sliced chicken.
You can dress the entire salad, or serve the dressing on the side and dress individual portions. I always prefer the latter because undressed salad can be refrigerated and enjoyed for a few days, whereas dressed salad gets soggy.
Video
Notes
Ingredient Substitutions
Chicken breasts. Chicken thighs are a good substitute for breasts. You can use rotisserie chicken and not marinated, grilled chicken if preferred.
Mirin. Rice wine vinegar works well in place of Mirin if you don’t have it.
Honey. Granulated sugar or brown sugar are good substitutes for honey.
Minced garlic. Both freshly minced and jarred work well.
Romaine lettuce. Spring mix, iceberg, baby spinach, etc. are all great choices. Pick your favorite.
Green onions. I love green onions in this recipe, but you can use your favorite – yellow, red, etc.
Vegetables. I included our favorite veggies to use in this Asian chicken salad. You can substitute your favorites and omit the ones you don’t like.
Cashews. Peanuts can be used in place of cashews.
Wonton strips.You can omit these if you prefer not to use them.
Peanut dressing. Feel free to use your favorite store-bought dressing if you’d prefer not to make your own. You can substitute powdered garlic and ginger with freshly minced garlic and ginger, if desired.
StoreStore leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Dressed salad will stay fresh for up to 2 days in the refrigerator (depending on the type of lettuce you use), and undressed salad will last for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.Store leftover dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.