Sandee’s Asian Chicken Cabbage Salad
When people swooned over my sister Sandee’s Asian Chicken Cabbage Salad, I adapted her recipe into a low-carb version of this tasty salad! And if you like chicken and cabbage and Asian flavors, you’re going to love this salad too!
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Years ago my sister Sandee brought this Asian Chicken Cabbage Salad to our family Super Bowl party, and right away people wanted the recipe. So Sandee gave me the recipe over the phone, and then I made a low-carb version using all cabbage (no carrots), omitting the crunchy ramen noodles, and using sweetener instead of sugar.
Through the years I loved the low-carb version of this salad with chicken, cabbage, and Asian flavors when I made it, but last year I got infatuated with Asian Green Salad with Soy-Sesame Dressing, and when I had some of that in the fridge I used it on this salad, with great results! And I didn’t like having to buy a package of ramen noodles to make this dressing since I wasn’t using the noodles, so this is a new-and-improved version of Sandee’s salad with Soy-Sesame Dressing.
I’ll also tell you how to adapt if you like using the ramen packet in this recipe. Either way you make it, this Asian Chicken Cabbage Salad is a delicious crunchy salad that’s a perfect main dish salad for lunch. If you like cabbage and Asian flavors, I bet you’re going to love this salad!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- chopped cooked chicken
- thinly sliced and chopped cabbage
- sliced green onion
- slivered almonds
- Sesame Seeds (affiliate link)
- Soy Sauce or Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link)
- Unseasoned Rice Vinegar (affiliate link)
- Peanut Oil (affiliate link)
- Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link), or other sweetener of your choice
- sesame oil (affiliate link)
- fresh ground black pepper
How to make this salad with uncooked chicken breasts:
- Trim undesirable parts from two boneless, skinless chicken breasts. (I save the scraps to make chicken stock.)
- Poach the chicken in water or broth with a little poultry seasoning (affiliate link).
- Cook chicken until it’s firm to the touch, about 10 minutes with the liquid barely simmering, then drain and let cool.
- Chop chicken as described in the recipe
What is unseasoned rice vinegar?
Unseasoned rice vinegar is simply rice vinegar that doesn’t have added sugar.
Do you need peanut oil for the Asian Chicken Cabbage Salad?
Peanut oil is great for the Asian-flavored dressing in this salad, but you can use any neutral-flavored vegetable oil if that’s what you have.
Can you make Asian Chicken Cabbage Salad with the ramen seasoning packet?
If you’ve had this type of salad with cabbage and chicken, it might have included uncooked ramen noodles and had a dressing that was seasoned with the chicken ramen noodle seasoning packet. If you want to make that version, you can substitute the ramen noodle packet for the sesame oil (or part of the sesame oil) in the dressing.
Is this Asian Chicken Cabbage Salad low in carbs?
If you make this chicken cabbage salad with sweetener and replace the ramen noodles with nuts like I did, this salad has only about 8 net carbs per serving.
Want more low-carb salads with Cabbage?
Check out Low-Carb and Keto Cabbage Salads for more ideas for using one of my favorite salad ingredients.
How to make Asian Chicken Cabbage Salad:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Chop chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- Whisk together soy sauce, unseasoned rice vinegar, peanut oil, Monkfruit sweetener, and Sesame Oil.
- Put chopped chicken into a bowl and mix in about half the dressing. Let chicken marinate in dressing while you prep other ingredients.
- Thinly slice and then chop enough green cabbage to make about 6 cups chopped cabbage.
- Slice green onions. (Forgot to take a picture of that!
- In a large dry frying pan, toast almonds over low heat, just until almonds start to be fragrant.
- Mix cabbage, sliced green onions, toasted almonds, and sesame seeds into the chicken marinating in the bowl. (Save a few almonds and sesame seeds to garnish the finished salad.
- Add more dressing, then toss to combine until the salad is as wet as you prefer. (You may not need all the dressing.
- Season with fresh-ground black pepper, sprinkle with reserved almonds and sesame seeds, and serve.
More Cabbage Salad Recipes You Might Like:
Sandee's Asian Chicken Cabbage Salad
Sandee's Asian Chicken Cabbage Salad is my low-carb version of a delicious salad my sister Sandee brought to a family party! And if you like crunchy cabbage salads with Asian flavors you're going to love this recipe.
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 3 cups diced, cooked chicken
- 6 cups thinly sliced and chopped cabbage
- 1/2 cup sliced green onion (more or less to taste)
- 3/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted in dry pan
- 2 T sesame seeds (see notes)
- fresh ground black pepper to taste
Dressing Ingredients:
- 2 T soy sauce
- 2 T unseasoned rice vinegar
- 2 T peanut oil (see notes)
- 2 T Monkfruit Sweetener
- 1 1/2 tsp. Sesame Oil
Instructions
- Chop chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- Whisk together soy sauce, unseasoned rice vinegar, peanut oil, Monkfruit sweetener, and Sesame Oil. (This dressing is good on lots of things so you might want to double the amount of dressing.
- Put chopped chicken into a bowl and mix in about half the dressing. Let the chicken marinate in the dressing while you prepare other ingredients.
- Thinly slice and then chop enough green cabbage to make about 6 cups chopped cabbage.
- Slice green onion.
- In a large dry frying pan, toast the almonds over low heat, about 90 seconds, or until almonds start to be fragrant.
- Mix cabbage, sliced green onions, toasted almonds, and sesame seeds into the chicken marinating in the bowl. (Save a few almonds and sesame seeds to garnish the finished salad.
- Add more dressing, then toss to combine until the salad is as wet as you prefer. (You may not need all the dressing.
- Season with fresh-ground black pepper, sprinkle with reserved almonds and sesame seeds, and serve.
- This will keep about one day in the fridge, but probably not much longer than that.
Notes
I use Toasted Sesame Seeds for this recipe, or you can toast your own or use black sesame seeds.
I'd use Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) for this salad, but use any sweetener of your choice.
Peanut oil is great in this, but you can use a neutral-flavored vegetable oil if that's what you have.
Recipe adapted by my sister Sandee from several sources and adapted into a low-carb version by Kalyn.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 330Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 355mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 5gSugar: 5gProtein: 22g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Made with all cabbage (no carrots) and using an approved sweetener, my sister Sandee’s Asian Chicken Cabbage Salad would be low in carbs and also approved for any phase of the original South Beach Diet.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Danica's Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This Asian salad recipe with chicken and cabbage was first posted in 2010, after my sister Sandee brought it to a family Super bowl party. It was last updated with more information and a slightly-improved recipe in 2024.
31 Comments on “Sandee’s Asian Chicken Cabbage Salad”
I wonder if you even read the recipe; I didn't use the ramen noodles, just the seasoning packet.
Great recipe except for the Ramen noodles. They are one of the last ingredients I would add in a recipe for more reasons than one. I guess they are nutritionally balanced by the cabbage, almonds and sesame seeds.
Beautiful and delicious!Definitely have to try this one!
I feel strongly that everyone should make their own food choices, so I'm not going to publish comments that are critical of ingredients I choose to use. Obviously I wouldn't be using Splenda if I thought it was harmful. If other people feel differently, then they shouldn't use it, especially since the recipe says "Sugar or Splenda."
This sounds like a perfect dish that's right up my alley-thanks for posting, can't wait to try it!
Perfect timing! I have some cabbage left over from a recipe I prepared on Monday AND I treated myself to a Rosie chicken this weekend, so I have some leftovers for this!
I made this last night and it was great! I'll be adding this to our "favorites" collection. Delish!
The salad will keep in the fridge for a day or two, but it's more crunchy when it's made the same day you eat it.
This looks delicious! How does it keep? Looks like a great slaw type salad that could be easily available for a quick little meal or snack!
Definitely trying this as soon as chicken breasts go on sale! Thanks!
Thank you, Sandee! This is my kind of salad and I have a feeling that I would have a very difficult time stopping myself from eating the whole bowl.
This recipe looks great – you could even substitute Shirataki noodles for the Ramen Noodles. Shirataki noodles are made from yam flour and tofu and have only 20 calories and 3 grams of carbs per serving. They also have 2 g of fiber per serving and they are gluten free. I just discovered them and they are really good and a great alternative to pasta.
This looks really tasty and so healthy! I can't wait to give it a try!
I found your website a few months ago but didn't add it to my favorites until today. I just wasn't ready to make a commitment to "healthy" cooking and that lifestyle. I LOVE to cook, and LOVE to eat. Lately, I have been feeling really lousy and had a dream that I need to change something or I would regret it. So today I remembered your blog and found it again, and put you on my FAVORITES list!! The food you have is just what I'm looking for–and the best part is, everything looks TASTY! It looks like I'll still get to enjoy my food. Thank you kindly for being a wealth of information and a support (even without you knowing). Congratulations on your success. 🙂
I'll be visiting you every day!
I love Asian salad. And this one looks just perfect. I love your inclusion of ramen noodles!
My family has always made something similar when we have leftover roasted chicken or turkey. Try it with napa cabbage and sesame oil/soy sauce/vinegar, with some cilantro sprinkled in
I've made this recipe before, using nice fresh cooked shrimp, rather than the chicken. And definitely sesame oil. Delicious… thanks, Kalyn
Cheryl, that sounds like it would be good.
I replace 2T of oil with 1T of sesame oil and 1T soy sauce. It adds a more Asian flavor.
Julie I asked for that recipe but didn't get it yet.
Will the recipe for the pork and green chile stew make an appearance soon too?
See, this is exactly the kind of recipe I would see at a potluck and dive right into. I love this kind of thing but, because I don't cook Asian much, I don't know how to make. I love these kinds of dishes. I'm printing this one out!
Thank you Kalyn AND Sandee!
This salad sounds really good! I like the use of the ramen noodles like this.
Oh my gosh! That looks insanely delicious! Now I really can't wait for spring break because I will most certainly be using my kitchen to whip up that recipe! 😀
I like the idea of adding something a bit spicy to this salad.
I chose South Beach because I didn't want to count calories, so I have no idea what the calorie count would be.
I have become a fan of all types of cabbage slaw. The dressing soften and tenderizes the cabbage. There are so many variations you can come up with, and this one looks like a winner.
Do you know the calorie count by serving?
Do you know the calorie count by serving?
I have made this salad for years and I sometimes brown the ramen noodles with the almonds to give it even more of a crunch. I have used peanuts or cashews when I did not have almonds and sometimes I throw in some sunflower seeds just because they are good. Its also good with chinese pork or left over turkey.
That looks delicious and perfect for a potluck, because most cabbage salads taste better the longer they sit with their dressing. I can see how the ramen noodles would add some welcome crunch, so maybe I'd have to sneak a few on top for garnish!
My grandmother made this exact salad often (she called it fumi salad). It was one of the few things that everyone loved, and a giant tupperware container of it would quickly disappear.
I make it from time to time without the Ramen noodles, and sometimes I throw in a diced jalapeno for an added kick. I've also used sunflower seeds when I don't have almonds, and I love it both ways.