Growing up, my best friend’s mom would always make this sesame chicken chopped salad. It was what she always brought to gatherings and what she always made us during the summer. I love it so much so I decided to make a healthy, Paleo version. You know, without the sugary dressing and wonton strips mixed in. 😉
A few months ago I needed a salad to bring to a party. Not only do I hate showing up empty handed, but it’s always best practice to bring something you know you can eat when you’re trying to eat healthy. This salad is always a crowd pleaser. It’s also a pretty quick one to make in a large batch.
I prefer to use chicken thighs for sesame chicken chopped salad because they tend to absorb a lot of flavor and stay really juicy. You can totally use chicken breasts too if you’d rather. You’ll first want to mix up the dressing because you’re going to use a few tablespoons of it to marinade the chicken. I hardly ever have enough foresight to marinade it longer than 20 minutes. If you have longer, great. If not, oh well. No one is gonna ask you. Probably. 😉
Almost all of the ingredients I used I ordered from Thrive Market which makes feeding a crowd (or making a ton of meals for myself) really cheap. Plus they offer 20% off of your first 3 orders which is a deal that’s hard to pass up.
If you don’t like a heavily dressed salad, wait to add the dressing until you’re ready to eat. I just mix it in a glass Pyrex bowl that I can bring with me along with the Tupperware the salad is in or store in the fridge. If you want the cabbage to absorb the dressing and become more of a coleslaw, add the dressing in and refrigerate for a few hours before serving! It’s awesome either way!
Other Salads You’ll Love:
Blackened Chicken Chopped Salad
Recipe Tutorial Video
Healthy Sesame Chicken Chopped Salad: Paleo & Whole30
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
For the Dressing:
- 1/3 cup coconut aminos
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
For the Salad:
- 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 4 diced green onions (can sub for 1/2 red onion finely diced)
- 1/2 large green cabbage, thinly sliced, or one whole green cabbage if it’s small
- 1/2 red cabbage, thinly sliced
- 2 cups shredded or matchstick carrots
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 1 can Mandarin oranges (no sugar/syrup – check labels!)
- 1/2 cup chopped and loosely packed cilantro
- 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl
- In a plastic baggie, add about 3-4 tablespoons of dressing with the chicken
- Allow to marinate for at least a half hour
- Add chicken with the dressing into a large skillet and cook over medium heat for 6-8 minutes on each side or until cooked thoroughly or grill
- Allow to cool to room temperature before chopping and adding to the salad
- Combine all other salad ingredients besides dressing and chicken in a large bowl
- When chicken is cool, add to the salad
- Stir in dressing well and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts:
- Calories: 432
- Sugar: 9
- Fat: 32
- Carbohydrates: 16
- Protein: 26
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Melissa Overstreet says
This is hands down my FAVORITE recipe on Pinterest!!! We have it at least 2-3 times month. Super easy and DELICIOUS!!
paleobailey says
SO happy to hear this!! Thank you, Melissa!
Donna Arledge says
This sounds great and I can’t wait to try it. The only questions I have is do you have any idea what the calories are per serving and how much is in a serving?
paleobailey says
Hey Donna! I didn’t do the nutrition info for this salad because so many use it differently as either a side salad or a full meal. I’d say it probably makes about 5-6 servings as a full meal. For the nutrition info you can enter it into whatever you use to calculate/track, such as myfitnesspal 🙂
Sarah Purcell says
How many servings does this make? Looks yummy!
paleobailey says
Hey there! If you’re using as a meal I’d say 5-6, as a side salad it will give you much more 🙂
Audrey says
This is a delicious salad, but is it Whole 30 compliant with the sesame oil?
paleobailey says
Sure is! Sesame oil is Whole30 compliant.
Pamela says
One of my all time favorite Whole 30 recipes! Thank you!
paleobailey says
Woo! I’m so happy to hear this! This is my favorite as well too! <3 - B
Tammy says
So Delish! Making it for a family gathering next weekebd. Can’t wait to try with grilled chicken this Summer! ????
paleobailey says
I’m SO happy to hear this!! Thank you, Tammy!
Tami Johnson says
This is a great recipe! I used walnuts instead of almonds. I will definitely make this again and again again. Appreciate the share!
paleobailey says
So happy you enjoyed it! Thank you for coming back and letting me know!!
Gagelene says
Where’s the nutritional value breakdown?
paleobailey says
I don’t calculate macro info, but you’re welcome to use My Fitness Pal or whatever nutritional calculator you use for your meals!
Kristi says
This makes a HUGE portion of one delicious Asian salad! I make it for a week of lunches & I’m onto making it a second time now. the only thing I change is using fresh mandarins & plenty of them. Just yum! Thanks for sharing such a yummy, easy recipe x
paleobailey says
Love to hear it!! You are so welcome, and I’m happy you love this recipe as much as I do! <3 - Bailey
Jen says
Hmmm don’t have toasted sesame oil ???? Can I just omit it?? Also don’t have black sesame seeds so should I double the white ones??
paleobailey says
You can use regular, not toasted sesame oil if you have it, or replace with avocado or olive oil. And yes! I’d just double the white sesame seeds 🙂 The black ones mostly just make it look a lil’ fancy, doesn’t alter taste! Enjoy!!
Lauren B says
this recipe is a slam dunk – made it to take to a pitch-in, and it was one of the first things to run out! people loved it (paleo & non-paleo alike), and are still asking me for the recipe!
I also made it to meal prep & it holds up well over the course of the week in the fridge.
paleobailey says
Thank you so much! This made my day. It’s definitely one of my top favorite recipes ever! Thanks for coming back and letting me know! <3 - B
Kelly says
What would be the equivalent amount of bagged cole slaw mix? I have 2 bags, so you think that is enough?
paleobailey says
Yeah! That should be good! I often just use a bag of green cabbage and a bag of purple, so I think 2 bags of coleslaw would be fine!
Chris says
Omg this tastes exactly like the Asian chicken salad I used to eat at Wendy’s every day (when I was 18 and fast food salads were the peak of my healthy eating). It is so delicious! I love the crunch of the almonds and the dressing is great as well. Always looking for non mayo slaw recipes. Thank you! This was so good I had to leave a review after I raved about it on insta stories.
paleobailey says
Haha! I remember that salad, too! Thank you so much for coming back and letting me know – I truly appreciate it! So happy you loved it 🙂
Denise says
This salad was almost too beautiful to eat but wow am I glad I did! New favorite Whole30 recipe!!
paleobailey says
I’m so glad you loved it! Thank you!
Allison says
most amazing thing that’s ever been in my mouth
Bethany says
I’m excited to make this recipe this week! I don’t have any avacado oil- do you think that olive oil or grape seed oil would taste ok as a substitute?
paleobailey says
Yes! I think avocado oil will work just as well! 🙂
Bethany says
Well, I actually DONT have avacado oil like the recipe calls for lol… would sesame or olive oil work? 🙂
paleobailey says
lol! Sorry I meant olive oil! Brain and fingers not working today apparently 🙂
Bethany says
Thanks!! Made it with olive oil tonight and it turned out deliocous!
paleobailey says
I’m SO glad!! Thank you for letting me know! 🙂
Emily says
This looks so good! About how many servings would you say this makes? Thanks!
paleobailey says
Hey! Honestly this makes a LOT of salad haha! I’d say probably 6 servings if had as a meal, much more than that if had as a side!
Brad says
Another win from @wholekitchensink!
YOU GUYS I ALMOST CRIED THIS IS SO GOOD! Definitely one of my top recipes and will be making this over and over again. Thanks Bailey!
paleobailey says
Thank you, Brad! I’m SO glad you loved this! It’s 100% my favorite recipe on this website! <3
Melissa says
My family was tired of the chicken recipes we usually ate and wanted a change. I made this and even my kids loved it! Instead of just mixing the dressing in, I left it on the side so we could put a little on it in case it was too strong for them. My son went back and got more with even more dressing on it and mixed it well. We ate this with homemade potato salad. My hubby couldn’t wait to take it for lunch the next day! I will be making this again! Oh, and we used gf soy sauce since I couldn’t find coconut aminos… delicious!
paleobailey says
Ahh! This made my day, Melissa! I’m so happy you and your family loved it – it’s one of my favorite recipes ever! Thank you so much <3
LC says
I’m gonna meal prep this for lunches next week! I’ll let you know what I think 🙂
paleobailey says
Wooo!! I can’t wait to hear! I hope you love it as much as I do! 🙂