Fresh and delicious Chinese Chicken Salad dressing recipe that’s healthy, sugar-free, and tastes better than restaurants. Learn how to make this popular salad right in your kitchen!
Despite its name, Chinese chicken salad was invented in America and has been a popular salad ever since, and for good reason. Chinese chicken salad is the perfect combination of sweet and tangy making it a fan favorite.
Our inspiration came from Rascal’s Chinese chicken salad. If you’ve ever had it, you will know just how delicious and addicting their dressing is.
We made this healthy Chinese chicken salad version to be sugar-free, low carb, and keto friendly. However, if you prefer the traditional version, just follow this recipe and just use regular cane sugar as your sweetener.
What is Chinese Chicken Salad?
Chinese chicken salad consists of either romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, or a mix of the 2 and an Asian style salad dressing full of sweet and tangy flavor. It’s perfect if you’re looking for a delicious gluten-free salad.
Note – this healthy Chinese chicken salad recipe does not contain any sugar or soy sauce.
What does Chinese chicken salad taste like?
Chinese chicken salad is sweet, and tangy, with hints of sesame. It’s also very addicting and the dressing keeps you wanting more.
What makes this recipe a healthy Chinese chicken salad?
This Chinese Chicken salad recipe is healthier because it is sugar-free, low carb, and keto friendly.
Most Chinese Chicken salad recipes contain loads of sugar and this recipe gives you an alternative way to still enjoy this famous salad without all the sugar and carbs.
What do you serve with Chinese chicken salad?
You can serve Chinese chicken salad with almond slices, mandarin oranges, carrots, red cabbage, green onion, bell peppers, wonton strips, and edamame.
What is Chinese chicken salad dressing made of?
- Iceberg Lettuce – washed and chopped.
- Chicken Thigh – or chicken breast, skinless and boneless. Can also use rotisserie chicken.
- Sliced/Crushed Almonds – buy premade or crush your own in a ziplock bag.
- Rice Vinegar – we like to use the sugar-free version.
- Sweetener – use your preferred sweetener.
- Toasted Sesame Oil – deep brown in color, available in most Asian supermarkets.
- Vegetable Oil – or your preferred neutral oil.
- Salt – table salt or sea salt.
- Black Pepper – fresh or pre-ground.
How to you make Chinese chicken salad?
In a small fry pan or skillet, add sweetener, rice vinegar and bring to a boil. Once boiled, remove from heat and let cool and transfer to a small bowl.
In the same bowl, add dark toasted sesame oil, vegetable oil, salt and black pepper and mix well to combine.
If using a traditional sweetener like cane sugar, whisk in all the ingredients into a mixing bowl until well combined. No need to boil down the sugar as it will dissolve into the dressing without any issues.
Pour cooled dressing into a large bowl and toss to combine.
Keep leftover dressing in a jar with a lid in the refrigerator.
What is the nutrition information for this Chinese chicken salad dressing recipe?
- 259 Calories
- 2g Carbohydrates
- 1g Fiber
- 19g Protein
- 19g Fat
- 111mg Cholesterol
- 672mg Sodium
- 284mg Potassium
- 19mg Calcium
- 1mg Iron
- 252ui Vitamin A
- 1mg Vitamin C
Looking for other salad recipes?
- Caesar Salad Dressing
- Japanese Ginger Salad Dressing
- Japanese Wafu Salad Dressing
- Broccoli Caesar Salad
Now, let’s get making this Chinese Chicken Salad recipe!
- Prepping Time 10M
- Cook Time 10M
- Total Time 20M
- Net Carb/Serving ~1g
- Servings 1
Ingredients
Salad
- 4-5 Leaves of Iceberg Lettuce
- 1 Chicken Thigh
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Sliced/Crushed Almonds or Roasted Macadamia Nuts (optional)
Dressing
- 2 tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 2 tbsp Sweetener (sugar alternative, sugar or preferred sweetener)
- 1 tbsp Dark Toasted Sesame Oil
- 1/2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
Directions
1) Gather all the ingredients.
2) Add enough water to boil chicken thigh in a stove top pan. Once water is boiling, add 1/2 tsp of salt and chicken thigh into stove top pan. Reduce heat to medium, cover the pot 7/8 of the way to allow for evaporation, and cook for 10 minutes.
3) In the meantime, prepare, wash, dry lettuce leaves as needed. Cut into 1/2 inch width bite sizes and place into a bowl.
4) Optional – if you have pre-sliced or pre-crushed almonds, you can skip this step. If you have whole almonds, put almonds in a food processor and pulse until almonds are in smaller pieces (or you can just break them up with kitchen mallet). Set aside.
5) In a small fry pan, add sweetener and Rice Vinegar and bring to boil. Once boiling, remove from heat, transfer to a mixing and let it cool. Note – if using a traditional sweetener like sugar, you can skip this step and add the ingredients directly into a mixing bowl.
6) Once liquid is cooled from step above, mix in Dark Toasted Sesame Oil, vegetable oil, salt, black pepper and set aside.
7) Once 10 minutes has passed, pull chicken from pot and place onto a cutting board. With a knife and tongs, gently sweep the knife left to right with the knife pointing with the grain of the meat. The chicken should pull apart and form shreds.
8) Combine shredded chicken, sliced/crushed almonds, dressing (to taste) into lettuce bowl and toss well. Note – make sure you vigorously shake/mix dressing prior to serving as settling will occur.
Hope you enjoy your Chinese Chicken Salad!
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Chinese Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 4-5 Leaves Iceberg Lettuce
- 1 Piece Chicken Thigh
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Sliced/Crushed Almonds or Macadamia Nuts
Dressing
- 2 tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 2 tbsp Sweetener sugar alternative, sugar or preferred sweetener
- 1 tbsp Dark Toasted Sesame Oil
- 1/2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Add enough water to boil chicken thigh in a stove top pan. Once water is boiling, add 1/2 tsp of salt and chicken thigh into stove top pan. Reduce heat to medium, cover the pot 7/8 of the way to allow for evaporation, and cook for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, prepare, wash, dry lettuce leaves as needed. Cut into 1/2 inch width bite sizes and place into a bowl.
- Optional - if you have pre-sliced or pre-crushed almonds, you can skip this step. If you have whole almonds, put almonds in a food processor and pulse until almonds are in smaller pieces (or you can just break them up with kitchen mallet). Set aside.
- In a small fry pan, add sweetener and Rice Vinegar and bring to boil. Once boiling, remove from heat, transfer to a mixing and let it cool. Note - if using a traditional sweetener like sugar, you can skip this step and add the ingredients directly into a mixing bowl.
- Once liquid is cooled from step above, mix in Dark Toasted Sesame Oil, vegetable oil, salt, black pepper and set aside.
- Once 10 minutes has passed, pull chicken from pot and place onto a cutting board. With a knife and tongs, gently sweep the knife left to right with the knife pointing with the grain of the meat. The chicken should pull apart and form shreds.
- Combine shredded chicken, sliced/crushed almonds, dressing (to taste) into lettuce bowl and toss well. Note - make sure you vigorously shake/mix dressing prior to serving as settling will occur.
Video
Nutrition
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