Spicy Korean Chicken Salad, Your New Obsession

Let me introduce you to the Spicy Korean Chicken Salad aka a spicy, deeply umami-rich version of every other Asian Chicken Salad you'll ever make and eat! Shall we?

Explore More

• What is Korean Chicken Salad?
• Is Korean Chicken Salad the Same as Chinese Chicken Salad?
• What Ingredients You Need for Spicy Korean Chicken Salad
• What's the Best Dressing for Korean Chicken Salad?
• The Key to Making the BEST Salad
• Health Benefits and Dietary Considerations
• Spicy Korean Chicken Salad Recipe

What is Korean Chicken Salad?

Ok, so there is an actual Korean dish called Dak Naeng-chae, which is a chicken "salad" comprised of mostly cooked chicken, a few fresh vegetables, and a creamy, mustard based sauce. And while Dak Naeng-chae is a Korean chicken salad, my recipe for Spicy Korean Chicken Salad is more similar to a Chinese Chicken Salad with a very spicy vinaigrette.

Is Korean Chicken Salad the Same as Chinese Chicken Salad?

I've tried, and of course, made my fair share of Chinese Chicken Salads, everything from Mandarin Chicken Salad with real fresh!!! mandarin oranges to LA Restaurant Style Chinese Chicken Salad that has, of all things, pasta. Each one is different, from the type of lettuce as a green base to the preparation of the chicken, from the garlic, ginger, sesame and soy flavors in the dressing to the additional ingredients that make the salad "Chinese."

All of the salads are GREAT, and this one takes all the best parts of those salads, and "Korean-izes" it with a deliciously spicy dressing that really leans into the base flavors of Korean cuisine: garlic, sesame, soy, and the big kick of heat from gochugaru.

What Ingredients You Need for Spicy Korean Chicken Salad

Most Asian Chicken Salads have some combination of lettuce, cabbage and/or other greens that might suggest "Asian," mandarin oranges, nuts, a form of noodles like fried wonton strips, "chow mein" noodles, or rice vermicelli, nuts, scallions, and a dressing that involves soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger.

The following ingredients are specifically what you need for THIS Spicy Korean 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:

• Cooked chicken, 2 breasts, shredded
• Purple cabbage, ¼ small head very finely shredded (about 4 cups)
• Carrots, 1 large peeled and finely shredded
• Apple, 1 medium, cored and julienned
• 4 Persian cucumbers, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced on the bias (diagonal)
• Green onions, 2 stalks thinly sliced on a bias (diagonal)
• Spicy Salad Dressing

Optional toppings: fried wonton strips, fried rice vermicelli noodles, or cooked pasta

Ingredients for Korean Spicy Salad Dressing

• garlic, 1 clove green stem removed and very finely minced
• apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons 
• soy sauce or tamari, 2 tablespoons 
• roasted sesame seeds, 2 tablespoons, plus more to garnish on top
• gochugaru, 1 tablespoon 
• sesame oil, 1 tablespoon 
• maple syrup, 2 teaspoons 

HIGHLY recommend that you double the dressing, use the ½ cup or so you need for this Spicy Chicken Salad recipe, and keep the rest as an all purpose "Spicy Sauce" for a whole host of other delicious salads and dishes, including but not limited to Bibimbap, silken tofu, and Sesame Broccoli.

And by the way, if the ingredients look familiar, that's because they're the same ingredients in slightly different proportions on Korean Green Onion Salad Pa Muchim and Korean Green Lettuce Salad!

Ingredients Notes and Resources

Chicken. Store-bought rotisserie chicken is your BEST FRIEND for this recipe. Any cooked or leftover chicken breast works. In fact, I have never actually cooked chicken with the express intent of making this salad. This salad is also GREAT with leftover roast turkey!

Pro-tip on Preparing Chicken: Shred the chicken into strips if you are going to eat with chopsticks, since shreds are easier to pick up. If you eat your salad with a spoon, make the salad into a Chopped Salad version by dicing the chicken into small cubes, and subsequently chopping the vegetables into similar size and shape to make it easier to pick and eat with a spoon!

Cabbage. I use purple cabbage for the added antioxidant boost, though regular green cabbage works just as well. The key, again, is to shred it as finely as possible to make it easier to pick up and chew. A mandoline is your best bet here.

Apples or Asian Pear. Use Asian pears if you can find them/when they are in season in the fall. For apples, I like Honeycrisps or Cosmic Crisp, which are crisp and tart. Fuji apples are widely available and sweeter. However, use whatever apple tastes good to you.

Green onions should be sliced paper-thin on the bias to match the shape of the other ingredients. You can also use yellow, white, or red onions, but since these round onions have a stronger flavor, slice them paper thin and soak in ice cold water for about 10 minutes to take the bite off of them.

Dressing Ingredients Resources and Substitutions

Soy sauce: I use tamari, Japanese-style soy sauce brewed without the use of wheat so it is gluten-free. The two are essentially interchangeable, though tamari has a slightly high-toned tartness to it. I use this brand, which is organic.

Apple Cider Vinegar. I use this brand organic brown rice vinegar. If you don't have rice vinegar, use any other light/mild vinegar like apple cider vinegar.

Gochugaru: Gochugaru is a bright red chili powder made from a specific variety of Korean chili pepper. Its heat level ranges, but is generally considered medium spicy. Look for a coarse grind, or flakes, not a fine powder. You can find gochugaru in Korean and other Asian grocery stores. I have also seen some new-ish spice companies like this and this at Whole Foods. This organic brand and the one in the photo above, purchased at HMart, are currently what I have in my pantry.

Sesame Oil. Use toasted sesame oil. Toasted sesame oil is dark brown and is used as a finishing oil, not as a cooking oil. This is the Japanese brand that I like. You can usually find organic like this one in natural and higher end grocery stores.

Maple Syrup. I use an organic maple syrup. You can substitute with other sweetener of choice.

Sesame Seeds. Make sure the seeds are toasted. If they are not toasted, toss them in a hot, dry skillet over medium heat for about 90 seconds or until they are fragrant.

Onions, garlic, and all other fresh herbs and produce from either the Santa Monica Farmers' Market on Wednesday, Mar Vista Farmers Market on Sunday, or Whole Foods Market when I can't find what I need at the farmers' market.

The Key to Making the BEST Salad

Look, you can haphazardly chop cooked chicken and a bunch of vegetables and toss it all into a mixing bowl with dressing and if the ingredients are good, you'll have a decent enough salad.

However, the absolute KEY to making this Spicy Korean Chicken Salad, or any salad, for that matter, is to consider the EXPERIENCE of eating it. How you cut, slice, chop, and dice the ingredients greatly impacts the flavor and texture experience of the salad.

Presumably, you'll be eating this Spicy Korean Chicken Salad with chopsticks, so make sure you shred the chicken and slice all the vegetables as finely as possible. It will make it infinitely easier to pick up a good bite with chopsticks.

If, however, you prefer shoveling your salad with a spoon standing over your sink by yourself in the dark because honestly, who doesn't? Make this Spicy Korean Chicken Salad into a chopped salad version. Dice the chicken into ½-inch or smaller cubes, and chop the vegetables into the same size and shape, including the cabbage. Make sure to use a Korean soup spoon, the kind with the long handle since, you know, it's Korean.

Health Benefits and Dietary Considerations

This Korean Spicy Chicken Salad is:

• gluten-free if you use tamari or gluten-free soy sauce
• refined sugar-free

Per serving:

• Calories: 310
• Protein: 29.5 g
• Fat: 12.5 g
• Fiber: 6 g

Best Asian Salads

• Mandarin Chicken Salad
• LA Restaurant-style Chinese Chicken Salad
• Vietnamese Chicken Cabbage Salad
• Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad
• Vietnamese Summer Roll Salad