If you're here for Chinese Chicken Salad, hit that "jump" button. Otherwise, I have a story, ok?
My family is not Chinese.
However, you might never guess that based on the fiercely possessive national pride my Dad has for China. If you ask my Dad where something comes from, where it originates, the history of anything, I am willing to bet my kingdom's inheritance that he will say “China.” Test him with something. He will find a way to trace its roots back to China. Just like “kimono.”
Firecrackers? China
Ice cream? China.
Spaghetti? My Dad LOVES this one.
“It is a common misconception that spaghetti comes from Italy, when in fact, it was Marco Polo's travels through China…” Dad will be smiling, as he gets to prove himself, yet again, the Great Enlightener.
With the exception of potatoes, which my Dad has conceded to origins in the mountains of Peru, everything comes from China.
Chinese Chicken Salad is... American?
But one of these days, I am going to ask my Dad about Chinese Chicken Salad. He will have to think about that one. Dad is going to lean back in his Captain’s chair with his fingers interlaced behind his head and think hard because there is no way in hell he will be able to trace Chinese Chicken Salad back to China. Not even Asia. I bet Chinese Chicken Salad doesn’t even come from anywhere near the northern hemisphere.
See, Chinese Chicken Salad is just about the most American food there is. Like many foods, the true origin of Chinese Chicken Salad is debatable, but it is commonly attributed to Wolfgang Puck, who created it somewhere within his Asian fusion empire.
Imagine that. An Austrian chef who does Asian Fusion in America invents Chinese Chicken Salad. How confusing. And I wonder about my identity crisis.
However, regardless of the uncertainty of it origins and the fact that its being overpriced, overdone, and just plain oh-ver, I still love a good Chinese Chicken Salad and consider it an American Classic.
I’ve tried my fair share of Chinese Chicken Salads in Los Angeles—Chin Chin, Feast from the East, Joan's on Third—and each one is different, from the type of greens used as a base to the flavors in the dressing, from the preparation of the chicken to “garnishes.” All of the salads are good, but nothing beats making it at home exactly the way *I* want it, pulling the best elements from all the other salads out there. My Chinese Chicken Salad is VERY AUTHENTIC to me.
(btw, if you have a recommendation for a good Chinese Chicken Salad in a restaurant, let me know. I am always researching.)
What You Need for Chinese Chicken Salad
Most Chinese Chicken Salads have some combination of lettuce, nappa cabbage and/or other greens that might suggest "Asian," mandarin oranges, nuts, some form of pasta like fried wonton strips, "chow mein" noodles, or rice vermicelli, nuts, scallions, and a dressing that involves soy sauce, sesame oil, and ginger.
The following ingredients are specifically what you need for THIS Chinese Chicken Salad, though the recipe is endlessly flexible and the ingredients can be substituted to suit your preferences and what's locally and seasonally available to you:
- nappa cabbage
- purple cabbage
- carrots
- tangerines (fresh! not canned!)
- snap peas
- almonds
- shredded chicken breast
- Ginger Miso Dressing or sesame soy vinaigrette
Chinese Chicken Salad Ingredients Notes and Resources
- Napa cabbage is the oblong-shaped cabbage that is used often in Asian cultures, e.g. in kimchi. If you can't find napa cabbage, use any green cabbage. To be honest, you can use romaine lettuce as the base, too. You just want 6 cups of shredded, green and crunchy-crisp.
- Purple cabbage adds color, which is a visual aesthetic thing, but also an indicator of nutrient density. Purple cabbage is available in every grocery store.
- Carrots. I used red carrots for nothing else than their color.
- Tangerines. Fresh citrus is generally in season in winter, but the small tangerines and mandarin oranges are almost always available year-round in grocery stores. Use any small tangerine or mandarin orange for this. Don't use the canned mandarin oranges. Not only are the canned oranges usually soaked in sugar syrup, but why? Why wouldn't you use fresh mandarins that still retain all their nutrients?
- Snap Peas are the sweet, "puffy" peas in their pods. You can also use their flat cousins, snow peas, or even shelled edamame.
- Almonds. Sliced almonds are easier to eat with a fork or spoon in a salad. However, if you have whole roasted almonds, just chop them and use those.
- Chicken. I have never actually cooked chicken with the express intent of making this salad. I have always only ever used leftover roast chicken or a store-bought rotisserie chicken.
Substitutions and Optional Ingredients for Chinese Chicken Salad
Add any or all of the ingredients below in addition to or to substitute for ingredients in the main recipe.
- Cucumbers, chopped
- Radish, any kind, julienned
- Snow Peas.
- Edamame.
- Red onions, sliced and soaked in cold water for 10 minutes, or pickled red onions
- Water chestnuts
- Tofu. To make this salad vegetarian/vegan, substitute pan-sauteed or air fried tofu.
- Fried rice vermicelli
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Toasted whole sesame seeds
Chinese Chicken Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ head napa cabbage, finely shredded (about 6 cups)
- ¼ head red cabbage, finely shredded (about 2 cups)
- 2 large carrots, peeled and julienned
- 4 tangerines, peeled and sliced or separated into segments
- 2 cups snap peas, finely sliced
- 2 green onions, sliced
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- 2 cooked chicken breast halves, cooked and shredded
- 1 cup Ginger Miso Dressing or simple Classic Chinese Chicken Salad Dressing below
Classic Chinese Chicken Salad Dressing
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablesoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar or honey
- 1 clove garlic, green stem removed and very finely minced
- ½ teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
Instructions
For Composed Salad Platter:
- In a large mixing bowl, toss shredded napa cabage with about ¼ cup of dressing, and spread out on platter. Toss shredded purple cabbage with about 2 tablespoons of dressing and place on one section over napa cabbage. Place the remaining ingredients in sections over the napa cabbage. Drizzle entire platter with dressing, or serve dressing in small bowl on the side.
For Chopped Salad Bowl:
- Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, including dressing. To make the salad easier to eat, use kitchen shears to further chop the ingredients in the bowl.
Make Classic Chinese Chicken Salad Dressing
- Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together, or pour into a mason jar and shake vigorously.
This recipe originally published March 2006, updated March 2022.
homewitch says
Does your dad use Windex as a cure-all, too? :)
I think there are a lot of ethnically named dishes that are, in essence, American. Pizza, for instance, the way we commonly find it here. "Mexican" food, ditto. Probably tons of others I don't even realize.
What I always wonder is this: What, in other countries, passes for or is attributed as being "authentic American cuisine?" The only things I ever come up with are Southern American dishes (country fried steak & chicken, buttermilk biscuits, etc.) What scares me is that if you look through a lot of recipe sites, there is an overabundance of casseroles. I sure hope that isn't all we're known for...
homewitch says
Does your dad use Windex as a cure-all, too? :)
I think there are a lot of ethnically named dishes that are, in essence, American. Pizza, for instance, the way we commonly find it here. "Mexican" food, ditto. Probably tons of others I don't even realize.
What I always wonder is this: What, in other countries, passes for or is attributed as being "authentic American cuisine?" The only things I ever come up with are Southern American dishes (country fried steak & chicken, buttermilk biscuits, etc.) What scares me is that if you look through a lot of recipe sites, there is an overabundance of casseroles. I sure hope that isn't all we're known for...
sarah says
homewitch: no, my dad doesn't. haha! and yes, i wonder about "american" food all the time. i mean, there's even a category called "american" on every restaurant review site - and it usually refers to anything that isn't one of the other cuisines. now we have "new american" which just confuses me even more :)
dorkie says
"With the exception of potatoes, which my Dad has conceded to Peru, everything comes from China."
heheh... everything still does. don't you know? *wink* :-P
Miss Tenacity says
Yep - pizza is Chinese, definitely. Don't forget that tomatoes, however, are North American. Silly Italians wouldn't touch them (or potatoes) for a long time, thinking they were poisonous.
The Chinese Chicken Salad thing made me remember that my brother's favorite is from Joan's on Third. And *that* made me remember that I love their little tiny chocolate bouchons.... mmmmm.
djjewelz says
Miss Sarah, I have another list idea for you. You should put together a list of all the recipes you have posted online so that I don't have to go through 5 months of posts to find some recipes. It was fun rereading some of the old posts though!
*janet* says
Feast from the East is my favorite CCS. Something about that damn dressing - it's like crack! How else can you explain that they sell it at COSTCO???
I saw Social Hollywood on your to-dine list - my boyfriend and I just went there for the Kobe Beef Sliders. He wrote a post about it if you want to check it out. http://www.consumermachine.com
Jim Bursch says
I am blessed to live right around the corner from Feast From The East, and their CCS is a regular must-have.
I think perhaps because they move so much salad, the ingredients are always fresh. Even the chicken seems better than the average white meat.
Is there Westwood Blvd. location their only location?
KT says
Do people still say "oriental?"
tres gauche!
I'm not a big chinese chicken salad person (although I love the crunchy things) but I think that California Chicken Cafe had a pretty good one.
Anonymous says
i make a salad dressing out of yoshida sauce from costco. It's so good! 2.5 parts yoshida, 1.5 parts white balsamic vinegar from trader joes (more if you like it more vinegary), .5 parts sesame oil, crushed garlic, ground red pepper, ground sesame. you can make a quick bibim nengmyun sauce from this too, just add more red pepper, vinegar, and garlic. hanna.
Anonymous says
i make a salad dressing out of yoshida sauce from costco. It's so good! 2.5 parts yoshida, 1.5 parts white balsamic vinegar from trader joes (more if you like it more vinegary), .5 parts sesame oil, crushed garlic, ground red pepper, ground sesame. you can make a quick bibim nengmyun sauce from this too, just add more red pepper, vinegar, and garlic. hanna.
JW says
Whoo-hoo! Go China! Your Dad sounds very enlightened. :)
That said, Chinese Chicken Salad is a personal affront to Chinese cuisine. Resist the urge at all costs!
JW
JW says
Whoo-hoo! Go China! Your Dad sounds very enlightened. :)
That said, Chinese Chicken Salad is a personal affront to Chinese cuisine. Resist the urge at all costs!
JW
onetomato says
if you fry your own shredded wonton skin and add toasted almonds instead of sesame seeds, it's to die for.
hermz says
Your version of CCS sounds good.
Anonymous says
Inventor of Chinese Chicken Salad: Cecelia Chiang, owner of The Mandarin restaurants in San Francisco and Beverly Hills (her son is a founder of PF Chang's) and mother of postwar high end Chinese cuisine on the West Coast. She had lots of leftover iceberg lettuce from minced spicy chicken wrapped in lettuce, so she invented the Mandarin Chicken Salad, which instantly became a cult hit and top seller in The Mandarin Beverly Hills in the 1970s. She describes her invention in her recent cookbook-memoir SEVENTH DAUGHTER.
K says
I am Korean adopted with a Chinese Mom. She and I both get creeped out by food labeled as "oriental" as well!!! Like who would really want to eat Oriental style ramen...who knows what they use as their special seasoning...?
Elizeth says
Hai.. These look good.Great presentation and your Photography is also good