Sandee’s Asian Chicken Cabbage Salad
When people swooned over my sister Sandee’s Asian Chicken Cabbage Salad, I adapted it into a low-carb version of this tasty salad!
PIN the Asian Chicken Cabbage Salad salad to try it later!
A few years ago I shared my photos for Super Bowl Party Food, and right away people started requesting the recipe for my sister Sandee’s Asian Chicken Cabbage Salad. So Sandee gave me the recipe over the phone, and then I made a low-carb version using all cabbage (no carrots), omitting the crunchy ramen noodles, and using sweetener instead of sugar.
I loved the low-carb version of this salad with chicken, cabbage, and Asian flavors when I tested it, but I’ll also tell you what to do if you want to duplicate Sandee’s salad more closely.
Either way you make it, this Asian Chicken Cabbage Salad is a delicious crunchy salad that’s perfect for lunch or even as a side dish to grilled meat or fish. If you like cabbage and Asian flavors, I bet you’re going to love this salad!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts or leftover rotisserie chicken
- Poultry Seasoning (affiliate link), optional, for poaching the chicken
- thinly sliced and chopped cabbage (or use 4 cups purchased coleslaw mix)
- sliced green onion
- slivered almonds
- Sesame Seeds (affiliate link)
- Unseasoned Rice Vinegar (affiliate link)
- Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link), or other sweetener of your choice
- chicken ramen noodle seasoning packet or a small amount of chicken soup base
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- Olive Oil (affiliate link)
- Peanut Oil (affiliate link)
What is unseasoned rice vinegar?
Unseasoned rice vinegar is simply rice vinegar that doesn’t have added sugar.
What if you don’t have peanut oil?
Peanut oil is great for the Asian-flavored dressing in this salad, but you can use any neutral-flavored vegetable oil if that’s what you have.
Want more low-carb salads with Cabbage?
Check out Low-Carb and Keto Cabbage Salads for more ideas for using one of my favorite salad ingredients.
How to make Asian Chicken Cabbage Salad:
(Scroll down for complete printable recipe with nutritional information.)
- Trim undesirable parts from two boneless, skinless chicken breasts. (I save the scraps to make chicken stock.)
- Poach the chicken in water with a little poultry seasoning (affiliate link). Cook chicken until it’s firm to the touch, about 15 minutes, then drain and let cool. (You can also use 2-3 cups leftover rotisserie chicken, cut into chunks.)
- Sandee’s dressing recipe uses the seasoning packet from chicken-flavored ramen noodles. These noodles do have MSG, so if you don’t want to use the ramen noodle packet, I’d substitute a little bit of chicken soup base that works for your diet.
- Stir together the Ramen packet or soup base, unseasoned rice vinegar, Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) or sweetener of your choice, salt, and pepper, and then whisk in the oil.
- Sandee used coleslaw mix which has carrot to make her salad, but I wanted to skip those carbs so I just used fresh cabbage and chopped it by hand.
- Add sliced green onions to the chopped cabbage or coleslaw mix.
- By now the chicken will be cool enough to dice it into smallish pieces.
- Mix the diced chicken into the cabbage/green onions, add dressing until salad is as wet as you prefer, and toss to combine.
- Toast slivered almonds in a dry pan about 90 seconds, add sesame seeds and toast about 60 seconds more.
- Then add the toasted almonds and sesame seeds into the salad and toss again.
- (This is when you would add the packet of crushed dry ramen noodles if you’re using it like Sandee did.)
- Season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper and serve.
More Cabbage Salad Recipes You Might Like:
- Spicy Mexican Slaw with Lime and Cilantro
- Greek Cabbage Salad
- Puerto Rican Spicy Cabbage Salad
- Chicken Cabbage Salad with Mustard
- Asian Cabbage Salad
Sandee's Asian Chicken Cabbage Salad
Sandee's Asian Chicken Cabbage Salad is my low-carb version of a delicious salad my sister Sandee brought to a family party!
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning (optional, for poaching water)
- 4 cups thinly sliced and chopped cabbage (or use 4 cups purchased coleslaw mix)
- 1/2 cup sliced green onion (more or less to taste)
- 3/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted in dry pan
- 2 T sesame seeds, toasted in dry pan
Dressing Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 T rice vinegar (or more, to taste)
- 2 T Monkfruit Sweetener (see notes)
- chicken ramen noodle seasoning packet (see notes)
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 4 T olive oil
- 2 T peanut oil
Instructions
- Trim all visible fat and tendons from chicken breasts.
- Then fill a small frying pan with water, whisk in poultry seasoning (affiliate link), add chicken breasts and cook at a very low simmer until chicken is firm to the touch and cooked through, about 20 minutes.
- Remove chicken and let cool.
- While chicken cooks, mix together rice vinegar, sweetener, chicken ramen packet or chicken base (affiliate link), salt, and pepper; then whisk in the oil, one tablespoon at a time.
- Taste dressing to see if you want a little more vinegar, and when it’s flavored to your liking set aside to let the flavors blend.
- Thinly slice and then chop enough green cabbage to make about 4 cups chopped cabbage (or use 4 cups packaged coleslaw mix.)
- Add cabbage to large bowl.
- Slice green onions and add to cabbage.
- As soon as chicken is cool, dice into small pieces (less than 1/2 inch square) and add to cabbage mixture.
- Add dressing until the salad is as wet as you prefer, then toss to combine. (You may not need all the dressing.)
- In a large dry frying pan, toast the almonds over low heat, about 90 seconds, or until almonds start to be fragrant.
- Add sesame seeds and toast about 60 seconds more, or until nuts and seeds are barely starting to brown.
- Add toasted almonds and sesame seeds to salad, toss again to combine, season with salt and fresh-ground black pepper, and serve.
Notes
Sandee added crushed noodles from the packet of chicken ramen noodles when she made the salad. I'd use Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) for this salad, but use any sweetener of your choice. If you don't want to use the chicken ramen noodle seasoning packet, I'd add about 1/4 tsp. chicken flavor base.
Recipe adapted by my sister Sandee from several sources and adapted into a low-carb version by Kalyn.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 301Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 3.1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18.8gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 137mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 4.1gSugar: 3.9gProtein: 17g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Made with all cabbage (no carrots), using an approved sweetener, and leaving out the crushed ramen noodles, this Asian Chicken Cabbage Salad would be low in carbs and also approved for any phase of the original South Beach Diet.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was first posted in 2010. It was last updated with more information in 2022.
31 Comments on “Sandee’s Asian Chicken Cabbage Salad”
I wonder if you even read the recipe; I didn't use the ramen noodles, just the seasoning packet.
Great recipe except for the Ramen noodles. They are one of the last ingredients I would add in a recipe for more reasons than one. I guess they are nutritionally balanced by the cabbage, almonds and sesame seeds.
Beautiful and delicious!Definitely have to try this one!
I feel strongly that everyone should make their own food choices, so I'm not going to publish comments that are critical of ingredients I choose to use. Obviously I wouldn't be using Splenda if I thought it was harmful. If other people feel differently, then they shouldn't use it, especially since the recipe says "Sugar or Splenda."
This sounds like a perfect dish that's right up my alley-thanks for posting, can't wait to try it!
Perfect timing! I have some cabbage left over from a recipe I prepared on Monday AND I treated myself to a Rosie chicken this weekend, so I have some leftovers for this!
I made this last night and it was great! I'll be adding this to our "favorites" collection. Delish!
The salad will keep in the fridge for a day or two, but it's more crunchy when it's made the same day you eat it.
This looks delicious! How does it keep? Looks like a great slaw type salad that could be easily available for a quick little meal or snack!
Definitely trying this as soon as chicken breasts go on sale! Thanks!
Thank you, Sandee! This is my kind of salad and I have a feeling that I would have a very difficult time stopping myself from eating the whole bowl.
This recipe looks great – you could even substitute Shirataki noodles for the Ramen Noodles. Shirataki noodles are made from yam flour and tofu and have only 20 calories and 3 grams of carbs per serving. They also have 2 g of fiber per serving and they are gluten free. I just discovered them and they are really good and a great alternative to pasta.
This looks really tasty and so healthy! I can't wait to give it a try!
I found your website a few months ago but didn't add it to my favorites until today. I just wasn't ready to make a commitment to "healthy" cooking and that lifestyle. I LOVE to cook, and LOVE to eat. Lately, I have been feeling really lousy and had a dream that I need to change something or I would regret it. So today I remembered your blog and found it again, and put you on my FAVORITES list!! The food you have is just what I'm looking for–and the best part is, everything looks TASTY! It looks like I'll still get to enjoy my food. Thank you kindly for being a wealth of information and a support (even without you knowing). Congratulations on your success. 🙂
I'll be visiting you every day!
I love Asian salad. And this one looks just perfect. I love your inclusion of ramen noodles!
My family has always made something similar when we have leftover roasted chicken or turkey. Try it with napa cabbage and sesame oil/soy sauce/vinegar, with some cilantro sprinkled in
I've made this recipe before, using nice fresh cooked shrimp, rather than the chicken. And definitely sesame oil. Delicious… thanks, Kalyn
Cheryl, that sounds like it would be good.
I replace 2T of oil with 1T of sesame oil and 1T soy sauce. It adds a more Asian flavor.
Julie I asked for that recipe but didn't get it yet.
Will the recipe for the pork and green chile stew make an appearance soon too?
See, this is exactly the kind of recipe I would see at a potluck and dive right into. I love this kind of thing but, because I don't cook Asian much, I don't know how to make. I love these kinds of dishes. I'm printing this one out!
Thank you Kalyn AND Sandee!
This salad sounds really good! I like the use of the ramen noodles like this.
Oh my gosh! That looks insanely delicious! Now I really can't wait for spring break because I will most certainly be using my kitchen to whip up that recipe! 😀
I like the idea of adding something a bit spicy to this salad.
I chose South Beach because I didn't want to count calories, so I have no idea what the calorie count would be.
I have become a fan of all types of cabbage slaw. The dressing soften and tenderizes the cabbage. There are so many variations you can come up with, and this one looks like a winner.
Do you know the calorie count by serving?
Do you know the calorie count by serving?
I have made this salad for years and I sometimes brown the ramen noodles with the almonds to give it even more of a crunch. I have used peanuts or cashews when I did not have almonds and sometimes I throw in some sunflower seeds just because they are good. Its also good with chinese pork or left over turkey.
That looks delicious and perfect for a potluck, because most cabbage salads taste better the longer they sit with their dressing. I can see how the ramen noodles would add some welcome crunch, so maybe I'd have to sneak a few on top for garnish!
My grandmother made this exact salad often (she called it fumi salad). It was one of the few things that everyone loved, and a giant tupperware container of it would quickly disappear.
I make it from time to time without the Ramen noodles, and sometimes I throw in a diced jalapeno for an added kick. I've also used sunflower seeds when I don't have almonds, and I love it both ways.