Crunchy ramen noodles top a flavorful, colorful and healthy salad for satisfying lunch, easy dinner or your next potluck. Use a rotisserie chicken for a short cut and light, no-cook summer meal.
This salad is an oldie but a goodie and one you may have had before.
It’s part of my lunch rotation when summer arrives and comes together quickly
if you prep your cabbage in advance!
The chopped / shredded cabbage as well as the carrots will stay fresh for 4 – 5 days
as long as they’re undressed and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
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What I love about this salad is that it’s light, flavorful and satisfying!
The addition of chicken makes it a complete meal but you can omit the chicken
for a tasty side or slaw for a potluck or backyard barbeque.
This salad is versatile and customizable, scaling it up or down for just a few
servings, or to serve a crowd.
Prep the ingredients ahead and assemble and dress it right before serving
to keep the ramen noodles and almonds crunchy.
I prefer to shred or chop the cabbage myself which makes for a fresher salad mix,
but feel free to substitute a 16 oz. bag (or two) of coleslaw mix
in place of the cabbages and carrots as a time saver if you prefer.
Here are the ingredients but feel free to adjust the quantities to your taste.
You’ll find suggestions for substitutions or add ins to customize it below:
2 (3 ounce) packages Chicken Top Ramen noodles, crushed, (flavor packet reserved for dressing)
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, (black, white or combination)
1/2 head green cabbage, chopped or sliced into thin shreds
1/2 head red cabbage, chopped or sliced into thin shreds
1 cup shredded carrots
2 cups diced rotisserie chicken (or more if desired)
3 – 4 green onions sliced (about 1/3 cup)
To toast ramen noodles and almonds:
Crush ramen noodles and spread on a parchment lined baking sheet along with sliced almonds.
Place in a 350 degree oven until fragrant and slightly brown, about 10 minutes.
Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Store in an airtight jar or container to retain their crunch until ready to mix with salad.
Dressing Ingredients:
1/4 cup neutral oil of choice; vegetable, canola, avocado or light olive oil
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
3 tablespoons sesame oil (or toasted sesame oil)
1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon from ramen seasoning packet; adjust to taste
Optional but recommended: 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
I’ve tweaked this dressing over the years, so it’s slightly sweet with a minimal amount of oil.
Use your favorite neutral salad oil: vegetable, canola, avocado or a light olive oil.
The seasoning packet from the ramen noodles has a lot of sodium
so I only use 1 teaspoon which is about half of the packet.
Adjust the seasoning in dressing to your taste, using more or less.
Seasoned rice vinegar is seasoned as the name suggests ;) and is more flavorful than regular rice vinegar.
It has a slightly sweet flavor, with added sugar and salt.
To make the dressing, add all your ingredients to a 16 oz. jar, shaking well to combine.
Store in refrigerator to chill and allow flavors to meld until ready to dress salad.
If you don’t like almonds or are allergic, omit them as the toasted ramen noodles
will still provide plenty of crunch and texture.
Optional add ins or substitutions for the salad:
Roasted Sunflower Kernels
Shelled Edamame
Mandarin Orange Slices
Broccoli Slaw
Sliced Radishes
Chopped Peanuts
If you haven’t had this salad before, I hope you’ll try it!
If you have, I love for you to leave a comment below with your additions and preferences.
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Ramen Noodle Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- (2) 3 oz. packages Chicken Top Ramen Noodles crushed, raw (flavor packet reserved for dressing)
- 1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds (black, white or combination)
- 1/2 head green cabbage chopped or sliced into thin shreds
- 1/2 head red cabbage chopped or sliced into thin shreds
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 2 cups diced rotisserie chicken or more if desired
- 3 green onions sliced, about 1/3 cup
Dressing
- 1/4 cup neutral oil of choice vegetable, canola, avocado or light olive oil
- 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil or toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce reduced sodium
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon from ramen seasoning packet more or less to taste
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger optional but recommended
Instructions
To toast ramen noodles /almonds:
- Crush ramen noodles and spread on a parchment lined baking sheet along with sliced almonds. Place in a 350-degree oven until fragrant and slightly brown, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight jar until ready to mix with salad.
To make dressing:
- Add ingredients to a 16 oz. jar, shaking well to combine. Store in refrigerator to chill and allow flavors to meld until ready to dress salad.
To make salad:
- To a large bowl add cabbage, carrots, green onions, chicken, and sesame seeds. Toss to mix, drizzle desired amount of dressing over top and toss to evenly coat.
- Add ramen noodle mixture to top of salad. Serve right away for crunchiest results.
Notes
- Adjust quantity to taste, scaling salad up or down.
- Omit almonds if allergic
- I prefer to shred or chop the cabbage from the head which makes for a fresher salad but feel free to substitute a 16 oz. bag of coleslaw mix in place of the cabbage and carrots if desired.
- The ramen flavor packets contain about 2 teaspoons of seasoning. There is a lot of sodium in the seasoning packet so I only use 1 teaspoon in the dressing. Adjust the seasoning in dressing to your taste, using more or less.
- Seasoned rice vinegar is seasoned as the name suggests 😉 and is more flavorful than regular rice vinegar. It has a slightly sweet flavor with added sugar and salt. I’ve made the dressing with regular rice vinegar but prefer seasoned rice vinegar for the added flavor.
- Optional add ins or substitutions: Roasted Sunflower Kernels, Shelled Edamame, Mandarin Orange Slices, Broccoli Slaw, Sliced Radishes, Chopped Peanuts
- To make salad ahead: Shred cabbage and mix with carrots and green onion in a bowl. Store toasted ramen noodles /almonds separately so they retain their crunch. When ready to serve, add chicken and sesame seeds to the cabbage mixture, tossing together. Stir in dressing; tossing to coat. Add ramen noodle mixture right before serving. This a favorite salad to eat during the week for lunch. The shredded cabbage/carrot mixture will stay fresh (undressed) in a lidded container in the fridge, 4-5 days.
You might also like:
A rainbow of veggies in a delicious Asian Noodle Salad. It’s also colorful, satisfying, healthy and customizable to your taste. Use rice noodles for a gluten free option.
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OH YUM!! This looks so good. I am def going to try this recipe! Thank you, Mary!
Mary, I have never had this salad! It certainly looks fresh and delicious and perfect for lunch. I definitely will try it and will add the mandarin oranges. Thanks for sharing and Happy Thursday!
I can’t wait to try this Mary, it sounds so good! We always have ramen in the pantry because the boys love to make it for lunch or a snack. I like the idea of adding mandarin oranges, thanks for sharing, it does sound like the perfect lunch for warmer days!
Jenna
I have made this salad for years using sunflower seeds in place of almonds. I’m looking forward to using your recipe with almonds and the mandarin oranges. Got to admit I used Trader Joe’s Sesame Soy vinaigrette for the dressing until they stopped selling it in my area.
My family seems to have this at every celebration, Mary. I started making it way back. I like your addition of chicken to make it a complete meal, and toasting the ramen. I use cabbage as the base of my lunch salad everyday. I chop a whole head and it keeps in a big tightly covered bowl in my fridge for a long time. Thank you for sharing your favorite with us!
Sounds delicious and looks appetizing! Thanks for sharing the recipe. Clara ❤️
I’ve been making this salad for years, it’s a summertime favorite! For those of you who haven’t tried this, I highly recommend it. As a vegetarian, I omit the chicken and, as Mary noted, you can include either edamame or chick peas for a meatless protein. It’s a refreshing salad to have after spending a day outside in summer heat!
Mary, Beautiful healthy salad! Looks delicious. We love Asian type salads and I will definitely try it! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I have made this salad before and it is quite delicious. The only thing I have done differently was to use breaded chicken tenderloins that I cut into pieces and I did not add mandarin oranges. That sounds delicious!
Such a delicious salad. Oldies are fabulous. I had almost forgot about this lovely salad. Thanks for sharing a Mary. Have a fabulous weekend.
Good morning! Salad looks great. I use about the same ingredients and make Asian coleslaw. Have a wonderful weekend.
Yes, Mary this is a summer favorite, but I have never roasted the noodles or added shredded chicken, but will try doing that. I do like it with the mandarin oranges. Sometimes, if I am in a hurry, I have substituted raspberry vinegarette instead of the traditional dressing you mentioned and I like that added raspberry flavor.
My husband would love this, he has been eating coleslaw daily!