Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe with Ginger Salad Dressing

Crisp cabbage, vibrant bell peppers, crunchy carrots, and zesty radishes come together with tender shredded chicken in this irresistible, healthy chicken salad recipe. Inspired by the flavors of Chinese chicken salad, it's tossed with a creamy ginger salad dressing that's bursting with flavor. Make it ahead, toss it with the tangy dressing before serving, and get ready to enjoy a salad that's as beautiful as it is delicious and good for you.

During a trip to Charleston, South Carolina, we stopped for lunch at the highly recommended Cru Cafe and ordered their standout Chinese chicken salad. It was a delicious twist-lighter than the usual versions (without mayo) and full of fresh flavors. Inspired by that meal, I created my own take with a creamy ginger salad dressing for an irresistible blend of tangy and savory. Here's my spin on that memorable healthy chicken salad.

Why You'll Love This Healthy Chicken Salad

• Use leftover or rotisserie chicken.
• Chop the vegetables and cabbage ahead of time for a fast lunch or dinner.
• The creamy ginger vinaigrette is versatile and delicious.

For another deliicous creamy salad dressing, make this homemade caesar dressing.

Recipe Ingredients

Healthy Chicken Salad

• Chicken: Use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken for an easy salad.
• Cabbage: Choose either Napa cabbage or Chinese cabbage.
• Carrots: For crunch and color, orange carrots are good.
• Bell peppers: Red, green, yellow, or orange.
• Radishes: For their zesty flavor.
• Onions: Use scallions (green onions) or chives, and a little red onion for color.

For a healthy, creamy chicken salad, try my chicken and and avocado salad recipe.

Chef's tip: To make your own chicken in advance, try these basic roast chicken breasts or these easy poached chicken breasts. Another option is air fryer chicken cutlets and slicing the crosswise into this pieces.

Ginger Salad Dressing

• Oil: Toasted sesame oil or plain sesame oil. Toasted has more flavor.
• Vinegar: Unseasoned rice vinegar, white vinegar or champagne vinegar
• Ginger: For ease, use the ginger puree in a jar or tube. For fresh ginger, zest fine with a microplane zester.
• Soy sauce: For gluten-free use tamari (wheat-free soy sauce), coconut aminos, or regular soy sauce. Be sure to buy low sodium.
• Nut butter: Choose either creamy cashew butter, tahini (sesame seed butter), or peanut butter.
• Honey: For just a little sweetness, use a mild honey or orange blossom honey.
• Lime: Fresh lime juice, to bring a little acid and tart balance.

If you love the flavor of ginger, make a batch of these easy ginger cookies!

Substitutions and Variations

• If ginger is not your favorite flavor, try this Creamy Tahini Salad Dressing or this Lemon vinaigrette, or fresh orange vinaigrette.
• If you can't find napa cabbage or chinese cabbage, use Romaine lettuce.
• Add fresh green cilantro leaves.
• Top with sliced almonds or cashews for more crunch.
• Add canned and drained mandarin oranges, more like a traditional Chinese chicken salad.
• Add more veggies such as chopped cucumber, carrots, even raw chopped zucchini.

For another terrific entree-style chicken salad try this Buffalo Chicken Salad.

Recipe Instructions

Step 1: Make the ginger salad dressing by adding all of the ingredients to a blender and blending until creamy, or into a jar with a tight fitting lid and shaking well.

Step 2: Wash cabbage leaves and slice out the white v-shaped core. Next, slice the leaves crosswise into thin ribbons. Chop all of the vegetables. Slice or quarter the radishes.

Step 3: Shred, slice, or chop chicken into bite-sized pieces.

Step 4: Assemble the salad and toss or drizzle with ginger dressing to serve.

What Else to Do With Cabbage

If you're not familiar with napa cabbage or Chinese cabbage, here are more ways to use these delicious and nutritious green vegetable:

• Use it in tacos instead of lettuce or standard green cabbage.
• Upgrade your steakhouse-style iceberg wedge with napa cabbage.
• Add it to a stir-fry.
• Make braised cabbage with leeks and bacon.
• Use it in a Caesar salad in stead of Romaine (which I like to do).
• Grill it.
• Add thinly sliced ribbons to chicken soup.

Serving Suggestions

Toss the salads with a little of the ginger vinaigrette and serve more at the table. Salad components are easily prepped ahead and put together when ready to enjoy.

To make this healthy chicken salad recipe ahead of time, prep all of the ingredients and store separately in airtight containers, make the dressing, refrigerate until serving time then assemble and dress. You can prep the ingredients 2 days ahead of time for a quick and healthy salad when you're ready to serve.

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