Oriental Chicken Salad with Crunchy Ramen Noodles

"This is a salad that even non-cabbage eaters love. It is nice and crunchy with great flavor. I once took it to a potluck in my apartment complex and then had to put the recipe up on the bulletin board because everyone wanted the recipe!"
 
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photo by Rita1652 photo by Rita1652
photo by Rita1652
photo by Rita1652 photo by Rita1652
Ready In:
25mins
Ingredients:
12
Serves:
6
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ingredients

  • 2 -3 cups chopped cooked chicken breasts (depending on the amount of chicken you like)
  • 1 head cabbage, shredded or chopped
  • 1 bunch green onion, finely chopped (or to taste)
  • 2 (2 1/2 ounce) packages slivered almonds
  • 3 tablespoons sunflower seeds
  • 2 packages Top Ramen noodles or 2 packages other ramen-type soup
  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • Dressing

  • 34 cup vegetable oil or 3/4 cup canola oil
  • 4 12 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
  • 4 12 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
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directions

  • Prepare dressing and set aside.
  • Smash noodles of Top Ramen (discard seasoning packets) and brown over medium heat in 3 tbs oil.
  • Once noodles have begun to slightly brown, add slivered almonds.
  • If you start to brown the Ramen and almonds at the same time, the almonds will burn before the Ramen browns.
  • Once the ramen noodles have turned a dark golden brown, remove from heat and set aside.
  • Combine cabbage, green onions, chicken and sunflower seeds in a large bowl.
  • Add the ramen/almond mixture and stir well.
  • Add dressing and stir to coat.
  • I generally prepare the dressing right before serving.
  • If it sits in the refrigerator too long, it gets very thick and won't remix well.
  • Also, this amount of dressing is just the right amount to give the salad a good coating.
  • If you are one of those who likes more dressing, I would recommend making 1/2 batch of extra dressing.
  • If you plan on eating this left over, keep in mind that the noodles will not stay crunchy.

Questions & Replies

  1. Does this recipe work with gluten free Ramen noodles?
     
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Reviews

  1. This salad is amazing! My boyfriend really loved it and asked me to make it again just a few days later. The second time I made it, I followed other suggestions and added: 1 Tb minced garlic, 2 Tb Bragg Liquid Aminos (tastes exactly like soy sauce but it's pure healthy nutrients), 1 Tb grated ginger, 1 tsp red pepper flakes, and 1/4 cup sesame oil. I substituted Stevia instead of sugar, fiber cereal sticks instead of ramen, and healthier olive oil instead of canola oil to reduce fat and calories (only 1/4 cup is needed). These changes make it taste even better and cut out the guilt!
     
  2. This salad is fantastic. I have made a similar salad for years and my one change would be to use the flavor packets that you discarded to the salad dressing. I use the chicken flavor ramen and the chicken packet gives that little kick to the flavor.
     
  3. My partner's & my favorite cole slaw! We've made it probably 10 times, and I've perfected it to our low-fat low-calorie diet. <br/>(1) Most importantly I only use 1/4 cup oil and always cold-pressed (chemical-free) extra virgin olive oil (which is such a good fat for you raw); honestly sometimes I use even LESS and this slaw is still great with some extra spices. In order to have enough dressing, though, I add 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce and 1/4 cup brown or dijon mustard. <br/>(2) Splenda or Stevia work great instead of sugar if you're into that (and 3 Tbsps is plenty). <br/>(3) Good spices include lots of fresh-ground ginger root, fresh minced garlic, salt & pepper, a dash of cayenne pepper, and/or even garam masala indian spice blend if I'm feeling exotic. This is a lot of the stuff probably found in the ramen seasoning packet but without the preservatives. <br/>(4) FIBER CEREAL! instead of ramen noodles. The day I realized I could make this salad even more guilt-free without the processed ramen was a glorious day: using fiber cereal (the little sticks) to add the crunch is great. I do toast them (and the almonds & sunflower seeds), but you don't need to use any oil to do it -- just keep an eye on them every 30 seconds!<br/>(5) You can cut the amount of almonds in half too -- there's still plenty of crunch!<br/><br/>LOVE this cole slaw, and these healthy modifications make it taste just as great as the original with probably 60+% less fat (56g/serving to ~20g). :)
     
  4. My step mom made this before she passed away and I've been in love with it from the first time she ever made it
     
  5. I've made this 3 times so far. It's easy to make and tastes good. I skipped sunflower seeds but it was still good.
     
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Tweaks

  1. In the dressing I only only used 2 TBS sugar (which was plenty) and 1 tsp salt. I used 4 TBS toasted sesame seeds instead of sunflower seeds and only a few stalks of green onion.
     
  2. I've been wanting to try this recipe because I've tried some at potlucks and this one was great! A few tweaks: I used Broccoli Slaw that was in a bag to make half the recipe, instead of salt I used the season packet, instead of sunflower seeds I used sesame seeds, added a little sesame oil for fun. Next time: it was a little dry for me, so I think I will add some soy sauce and more rice vinegar and more green onion. Thanks for sharing! We loved it!
     
  3. I followed other suggestions and added: 1 Tb minced garlic, 2 Tb Bragg Liquid Aminos (tastes exactly like soy sauce but it's pure healthy nutrients), 1 Tb grated ginger, 1 tsp red pepper flakes, and 1/4 cup sesame oil. I substituted Stevia instead of sugar, fiber cereal sticks instead of ramen, and healthier olive oil instead of canola oil to reduce fat and calories (only 1/4 cup is needed). These changes make it taste even better and cut out the guilt!
     
  4. I have people asking me to bring this to their parties. It is a fabulous and easy salad to make. Instead of sunflower seeds, I brown sesame seeds just because I always have them.
     
  5. I've been making something very similar for years but had misplaced my handwritten recipe. Thanks for helping me to find the recipe :) I use coleslaw mix for ease of preparation and sesame seeds in place of the sunflower seeds as a personal preference but everything else is spot on to how I have always made it. I really like the dressing ration here and I also love to eat the leftovers with the soft noodles!
     

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