Mandarin Orange Chicken Salad

Buying a rotisserie chicken is basically admitting defeat on cooking dinner from scratch, and this salad is where I let that chicken redeem itself. It gets tossed with crunchy napa and red cabbage, juicy mandarin segments, and a sesame ginger dressing whisked together in five minutes, no bottle in sight. The chow mein noodles are supposed to go on top, though a few always disappear straight out of the bag before that happens (no judgment).

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Key Ingredients and Substitutions

The complete ingredient list and measurements are listed in the printable recipe below.

• Rotisserie Chicken: Shred the chicken while it’s still a little warm, since the meat pulls apart in cleaner strands than it does once it’s cooled and firmed up in the refrigerator. Skip the skin, too, since it turns rubbery once it’s cold and adds nothing to the salad.
• Napa Cabbage: Napa cabbage has thinner, more tender leaves than regular green cabbage, so it takes on dressing without wilting as quickly. A bagged coleslaw mix works if napa cabbage isn’t available, though the texture will be a little firmer and the color less pale green.
• Mandarins: Fresh mandarins give you the juiciest segments and hold their shape once tossed with the dressing. Canned mandarin oranges work too, but drain them well and pat them dry first, since the extra liquid left in the can is one of the fastest ways for this salad to turn watery.
• Chow Mein Noodles: These add crunch on top and are usually stocked near the Asian foods section of the grocery store. Wonton strips or crispy rice noodles both work as a swap, and either one holds up just as well once the dressing is on.
• Sesame Oil: Use toasted sesame oil here, not the light or refined version, since it has a stronger, nuttier flavor, and a small amount is enough to carry the whole dressing.

How to Make Mandarin Orange Chicken Salad

Here are the quick, step-by-step instructions with visuals; you can find the full instructions, including the exact ingredients, in the recipe card below.

Pro-tip: Taste the dressing before pouring it over the salad, and adjust the honey or rice vinegar as needed. Fresh oranges vary in sweetness, so the same amount of honey won’t taste identical every time you make this.

Whisk the sesame oil, orange juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, garlic, and ginger together in a small bowl, then season with salt and pepper. Setting it aside for a few minutes while you prep everything else gives the garlic and ginger time to mellow into the dressing rather than taste sharp and separate.

Combine the cabbage, carrots, chicken, mandarins, green onions, and cilantro in a large bowl. Toss everything by hand instead of with tongs if you can, since tongs tend to bruise the more delicate mandarin segments and napa cabbage leaves.

Pour the dressing over the salad right before you’re ready to eat, then toss until every piece is coated. Napa cabbage looks glossy once it’s dressed, and that’s your cue you’ve used enough.

Add the almonds and chow mein noodles right before serving, not before. Both lose their crunch fast once they touch the dressing, so holding them back until the last minute is what keeps this salad from turning into a soft, sad version of itself.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: The dressing keeps in the refrigerator for up to a week, but give it a whisk again before dressing your salad. You can shred the cabbage, carrots, and chicken up to a day ahead, then store them together in an airtight container, separate from the dressing and crunchy toppings.

How to Store: Once dressed, the salad holds in the refrigerator for about a day before the cabbage starts to soften noticeably.

Recipe Tips and Notes

• Cut the chicken and vegetables to a similar size. Even, bite-sized pieces make it easier to get a little of everything in each forkful instead of ending up with all cabbage or all chicken.
• Double the dressing if you’re meal prepping. Extra dressing keeps in the refrigerator, so you’re not stuck eating a dry salad by day three.
• Toast the almonds. A few minutes in a dry skillet over medium heat deepens the flavor of the slivered almonds. Watch them closely, since they go from toasted to burnt in under a minute.