Quick Crunchy Asian Chicken Salad Recipe - A One-Bowl Meal (2024)

It’s the time of year in Minnesota when I start feeling like a hermit. It’s cold, it’s snowy, it’s just all winter outside and I would rather not face it.

A side effect of my natural inclination to hibernate is also to eat fewer fresh vegetables. Obviously, nothing is in season around here, grocery stores advertise “hearty” produce like potatoes and squash, and I’m just not feeling my healthiest.

Then I remind myselfthat I need to set a good example for my kids. I also remember that thereare modern technologies–like airplane–that bring fresh foods from warmer climates to stores all over the frozen tundra of Minnesota.I’m more than able toget both kids out of the houseto pick up some groceries.

And you know what? Eating all those fresh foods helps with thereclusive feelings I tend to have around this time of year. It replenishes my energy and makes me feel less like huddling under a blanket for a few months while I wait for the snow to melt.

If you’re feeling at all like a winter hermit, let me tell you this right now: eat some fresh foods. It helps!

When I’m planning on making a really good salad with a variety of vegetables and other ingredients, I usually just toss in serving of protein to turn that salad into a balanced dinner in one bowl.

OnceI decided I wanted to make a Crunchy Asian Chicken Salad with this post, I knew I was going to have to doctor up my Italian Dressing to give it an Asian twist.

Do you think that’s a weird idea? Let me tell you, Italian Dressing is delicious. It’s tangy and tastes great. But, there’s nothing distinctly Italian-flavored about about it.

The basic (not all) ingredients include water, oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, garlic, red peppers and salt. that means you can add other ingredients to use it for more than just a popular salad dressing.

Adding just four ingredients to the Italian dressing turned it into a delicious Asian dressing that was perfect for the salad I made!

Looking for a new twist on salad? Try these Greek salad kabobs or this goat’s cheese salad.

Crunchy Asian Chicken Salad Recipe:

For the Crunchy Asian Chicken Salad Dressing:

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Italian salad dressing
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1-2 teaspoons rice vinegar
Flavor packet from ramen noodles in recipe below (optional)

Directions:

Whisk all the first five ingredients together in a bowl. Add the ramen noodle flavor packet, a little at a time, if more flavor is desired. Set aside.

For the Crunchy Asian Chicken Salad Dressing:

Ingredients:

1 3-ounce package original or chicken ramen noodles, uncooked
2 tablespoons butter
1 10 oz package broccoli coleslaw mix
1/2 cup sesame seeds, toasted
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1 package romainelettuce
6 green onions, chopped
12 ounces (1 1/2 to 2 cups) cooked chicken

Directions:

1. Chop the dry ramen noodles into rough cubes
2. Brown the chopped noodles in the butter over medium heat. Set aside.
3. Fill a bowl almost to the top with broccoli slaw.
4. Top the slaw with some wide, flat romaine leaves to keep small ingredients on top.
5. Arrange the rest of the ingredients on top of the lettuce.
6. Drizzle Crunchy Asian Chicken Salad Dressing over everything.

Scroll down for a printable version of the Crunchy Asian Chicken Salad recipe

I used a bowl with a wide rim to segmentthe ingredients on top of the broccoli slaw. This makes it look pretty, but it’s a lot faster to just stir everything together!