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Ramen Chinese Chicken Salad is a throwback classic that’s been served at church potlucks and BBQs for years. It’s full of cabbage slaw, crunchy ramen noodles and almonds, and a sweet and tangy dressing.
For more cold salads, try my Simple Cabbage Salad, Tuna Macaroni Salad and Tomato Avocado Salad.
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Asian Style Ramen Noodle Salad with Chicken
This retro salad has been around for as long as I remember. Sometimes it’s just all veggies and ramen noodles, sometimes there’s chicken added in. This is one of those times.
It’s crunchy, tangy, and has such a wonderful, savory flavor. It’s perfect for serving at potlucks, BBQs, or really any kind of gathering.
Ramen Chicken Salad Ingredients
- Chicken Breast – 2 chicken breasts or about 1 pound of chicken. I highly recommend using white meat, as dark meat can be too greasy.
- Coleslaw Mix – Grab a package of coleslaw mix at the grocery store, or make your own with different kinds of shredded fresh cabbage and carrots.
- Ramen Noodles – Yup, the like packages of uncooked noodles. Discard the seasoning packet because you only need the noodles.
- Mix-ins – Sesame seeds, Pepitas, Sliced almonds. Almonds are traditional but you can use any combination of these.
- Green Onions – The recipe calls for a cup of thinly sliced green onions, which is usually about one whole bunch. I use both the white and green parts of the onion.
- Asian Salad Dressing – Vegetable oil, sugar, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, black pepper, and garlic powder.
How To Make Ramen Chinese Chicken Salad
See recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Toast the ramen noodles, pepitas, and sliced almonds on a baking sheet until golden. Set aside to cool.
- Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl until well combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken, coleslaw mix, ramen, seeds, and nuts, then toss with the dressing.
- Serve immediately.
FAQs
I recommend making this salad no more than an hour in advance
The seasoning packets is discarded. While some recipes do call for the seasoning to be added to the dressing, I prefer to use my own seasonings.
You can use it if you prefer, instead of the seasonings in the dressing. Might want to scale back on the soy sauce though.
Serving Suggestions
This salad has it all – crunch, tang, sweet and savory. Not much you can do to make it better! Plus, with the chicken, it’s like a whole meal so you don’t even need to add any sides.
Since it’s an Asian Inspired Salad, you could serve it with some delicious appetizers, like Air Fryer Cream Cheese Wontons, Crab Rangoon, Crab Dip Recipe, or Egg Drop Soup. It would also make an interesting side dish for Korean Short Ribs.
Storing Leftovers
Leftovers should be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Keep in mind that this salad is best fresh when the noodles are nice and crunchy. They will soften a bit as they sit, though they won’t become mushy.
- Be sure to serve this salad pretty quickly so it will stay nice and crunchy.
- Time-saving tip – Shred the meat from a rotisserie chicken to save time.
More Asian-Inspired Salads
- Chopped Thai Salad with Peanut Dressing
- Asian Salad with Peanut Dressing
- Baked Teriyaki Salmon Lettuce Wraps
- Teriyaki Chicken Salad (Red Robin Copycat)
Ramen Chinese Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 6 ounces ramen noodles crumbled without seasoning packet
- ¼ cup sesame seeds
- ½ cup pepitas
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- 3-4 cups boneless, skinless chicken breast cooked and shredded
- 16 ounce bag coleslaw mix 4 cups
- 1 cup sliced green onions
Dressing
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon white sugar
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spread crumbled ramen noodles, pepitas, and sliced almonds onto a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 8-10 minutes, stirring once, until mixture is toasted and golden brown. Set aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing.
- Add the coleslaw mix, shredded chicken and ramen noodle mixture to the bowl and toss until well coated with the dressing.
- Serve immediately.
This was ok with the original recipe. I tripled the sauce ingredients and it was much better. Added a few dashes of siriacha as well, but that was personal preference.
Thanks for the feedback Amy!
Simply delicious, thank you .
You are so welcome Sandra! Thanks for stopping by.