Raise your hand if you are a sucker for Panera’s Asian Chicken Salad? ME! There is something about those crunchy wonton strips and almond slivers, and that umami sesame dressing that keeps me coming back for more!
I can’t always get to Panera to satisfy my cravings, but luckily, with a few pantry staples that I always have on hand, and some great produce, I can make my own version in a jiffy!
This salad is full of great mix-ins! Crunchy shredded carrots and almonds. Sweet red bell peppers. Crisp cucumber. Green and red onion. Zesty cilantro! It’s basically the kitchen sink, but much tastier!
Sesame Dressing
The kicker to this asian chicken salad is in the dressing! The base of the salad is great, but could really take on any profile depending on what dressing you have on hand. Sub out the wontons for tortillas and you could have a fiesta salad! Add in blue cheese and hot sauce and you have a buffalo chicken salad. You get it!
Luckily, this dressing is full of tasty ingredients I always have in my pantry. If you don’t have all of these, go ahead and stock up! You’ll want to make this again and again.
- Soy Sauce
- Sesame Oil
- Mirin
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Lime
- Brown Sugar
- Honey
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Peanut Butter (this gives more of a Thai vibe, but I love the thickness is provides to the dressing)
Asian Shredded Chicken
This salad is nothing without the shredded chicken that gets tossed into every bite! Luckily, the salad dressing and the marinade for the chicken have pretty much identical ingredients! So, the longer the chicken marinates, the more delicious sesame ginger flavor you have throughout your salad!
Normally, I would grill the chicken, but since we have been in quarantine for a while, an indoor smokeless grill is the way to go! That smokey char from a grill can’t be beat, so if you can achieve that from inside, why not right???
The possibilities for this salad are endless! Add in some edamame, baby corn, bamboo shoots, watercrest! If you can think of it, it will probably be delicious.
All that’s left is to top this delicious salad with the perfect amount of dressing and some crispy wontons (my favorite part of the whole salad!!!) and you have an amazing specialty salad in minutes!
Asian Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1½ tbsp brown sugar
- ½ tbsp minced ginger
- 1 tbsp mirin
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Asian Dressing
- ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1½ tbsp minced or grated ginger
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- juice of half a lime
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp sesame seeds optional
Salad
- 2 heads of romaine lettuce about 6 cups
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 bunch cilantro torn
- 1 bunch green onions, green and white parts chopped, about ½ cup
- ⅓ cup slivered almonds
- 1 red pepper thinly sliced
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup cucumber halved and sliced
- 1 cup sliced red cabbage optional
- 1 cup crispy wonton strips
Instructions
Marinated Chicken
- Combine all ingredients for the marinade in a bowl or plastic bag. Submerge chicken and let it sit in marinade for at least 30 minutes.
- Cook chicken in a skilled or on the grill, about 4 minutes per side. Cool and shred with two forks. Set aside.
Asian Dressing
- Add all ingredients to a small bowl and whisk.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. If it is too sweet, add more lime. If it is too salty, add more brown sugar, one teaspoon at a time.
Salad
- If you are making your own wonton strips, take wonton or egg roll wrappers and cut them in half across and then length-wise into ½ inch strips. Fry in a pan/skillet filled with about ½-1 inch of oil for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Drain on a paper towel.
- In a large salad or mixing bowl, combine all of the salad ingredients (reserving ½ of the wonton strips).
- Pour in ⅓ of the salad dressing and toss.
- Top the salad with shredded chicken and reserved wonton strips.
- Serve immediately with remaining dressing on the side.
