Asian Chicken Salad (Applebee’s Copycat)
This Asian Chicken Salad combines crispy frozen breaded chicken strips with fresh crunchy lettuces, a sweet and tangy homemade dressing, and crunchy chow mein noodles for a fresh, flavorful, and easy-to-prepare meal perfect for weeknights.
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- to taste Salt and pepper
- 5 pieces frozen breaded crispy chicken strips see note
- 2 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
- 2 cups chopped iceberg lettuce
- 2 cups tri-color coleslaw mix
- 1 scallion diced
- 15 ounce can mandarin oranges fully drained
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
- ⅓ cup crunchy chow mein noodles
Instructions
Instructions
- Cook the frozen breaded crispy chicken strips according to package instructions. Usually, this means using your pressure cooker’s sauté mode or oven if you gotta crisp ’em real nice. Let them cool slightly so they’re not too hot to chop.
- While chicken’s cooling, whisk together mayo, honey, rice vinegar, Dijon mustard, sesame oil, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. This dressing is gonna turn that salad into a flavor party.
- Grab a big salad bowl and combine chopped Romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, and tri-color coleslaw mix. Toss ’em gently so the textures blend real nice but keep their crunch.
- Chop the cooked chicken strips into bite-sized pieces. You want each salad bite to have a perfect balance of chicken and crunch.
- Add the diced scallion and drained mandarin oranges into the salad bowl. They bring brightness and color that pop on first sight.
- Pour your dressing over the salad and toss it well so everything gets coated evenly. Don’t be shy about tossing – you want that dressing hugging every leaf and piece of chicken. Just serve immediately while chicken’s still got that little warm feeling with crunchy chow mein noodles sprinkled on top.
Notes
Make sure your chicken strips are frozen solid so they cook up crispy but stay juicy inside. You need the right mix of lettuces and coleslaw to get that perfect crunch and freshness. Don’t skip the scallion and mandarin oranges, they bring the salad’s vibe together with sweetness and a little pop. Serve immediately for best texture.