Sesame Cabbage Salad with Grilled Chicken (30 Minute Main Dish)
Sesame cabbage salad topped with grilled chicken is a mouth-watering main dish that’s both quick and nutritious. In just 30 minutes, you can whip up this delicious dish that combines the warm, savory flavors of grilled chicken with crisp, fresh cabbage and vegetables, all tied together with a tantalizing sesame dressing.
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There’s nothing like a main dish salad during the summer months – it’s cooling, yet satisfying and they are usually easy to make ahead. Pulling out dinner ready to go from the fridge at the end of the day is such a great feeling!
And if a main dish salad is served at a picnic or your backyard table? Even better.
This recipe for sesame cabbage salad with grilled chicken is perfect in all these ways!
It was inspired by two of my go-to recipes, soy sriracha marinated chicken and sesame vinaigrette. I wanted to combine them with a cabbage salad with Asian flavors like this into one flavorful one-dish meal.
Ingredients
Besides cabbage, I chose classic slaw-style salad vegetables with the addition of some spicy jalapeños and fun toppings.
- Cabbage – all green or a mix of red and green cabbage.
- Carrots – shredded so they mix in nicely with the cabbage.
- Sweet red peppers – sliced very thinly and halved to mix well (any color of sweet pepper will work).
- Sweet onions – chopped or sliced fine and halved.
- Jalapeños – chopped fine with seeds and membranes removed – simply omit if you’d prefer to not have any spice.
- Sesame seeds – these are added in the vinaigrette as well as used as a topping.
- Almonds – add a wonderful crunch and flavor – they can be sliced or chopped.
- Parsley – for a green garnish, you can also use chopped chives or green onions instead (or in addition).
- Grilled chicken – and soy sauce plus Sriracha for the marinade. TIP: if you’re having trouble finding the original sriracha sauce, we’ve found this is a good substitute and tastes very similar.
- Sesame Vinaigrette salad dressing – brings all the flavors together.
Scroll to recipe card below for quantities and the full steps to make this recipe.
Instructions
Combine soy sauce and sriracha sauce in a small bowl. Pour over boneless, skinless chicken breast, making sure to coat all areas. Marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to two hours.
Grill the chicken breasts 6-8 minutes per side until thickest part is 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Alternately, pan fry or use a griddle to cook them.
Meanwhile (or earlier in the day) make the sesame vinaigrette. Mix vegetables together and pour on some of the vinaigrette.
Toss the vegetables and vinaigrette well and then spread in a large, shallow serving bowl or on individual plates.
Slice the grilled chicken and add it to the top of the cabbage salad. Pour more of the vinaigrette on top of the chicken.
Now top with any – or all – of the toppings you’d like! I always use the sliced (or chopped) almonds for the flavor and nice crunch, and sesame seeds of course.
Then I like to use whatever I have on hand – this time it was parsley. Sometimes it’s chopped chives or green onions. If you’re a cilantro fan, that would be good, too.
Substitutions & Variations
Here are some more yummy variations that you’re welcome to try with this chicken cabbage salad recipe:
- Cabbage – instead of regular head cabbage, you can use savoy or Chinese cabbage. They are lighter and are a fun change, but you will not be able to make it too much in advance, as the lighter leaves wilt more after being dressed with the vinaigrette.
- Almonds – try swapping cashews for the almonds for a different flavor.
- Marinade – use only soy sauce as a marinade, or combine soy with a bit of rice vinegar and a couple of chopped garlic cloves.
- Chicken – you can easily substitute chicken thighs for breasts as well as try any type of grilled protein like shrimp, sliced steak or sliced pork loin. Or riff on this Thai Grilled Beef Salad.
- Vegetarian – top the salad with a can of chickpeas that have been tossed in a bit of the vinaigrette or marinate and grill tofu.
Make-Ahead and Storage
You can make and dress the cabbage vegetable mixture early in the day, keep in the fridge, and then add the cooked chicken and toppings right before serving.
Or you can arrange the whole salad and keep in the fridge for a couple hours before serving if you’re okay with cold chicken with the salad.
As leftovers, the salad keeps well all mixed together for for 2-3 days refrigerated in airtight containers.
Equipment Used In This Recipe
- Shallow white serving bowl
- One cup glass measuring cup
- Bamboo serving tongs (they fold flat for storage)
- Favorite chef’s knife
- Bamboo cutting board
More Main Dish Salad Recipes
Looking for more one dish salad recipes to try? Here are a few favorites:
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Sesame Cabbage Salad with Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts about 1.5 pounds (or thighs)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2-3 tablespoons sriracha-type sauce
Salad:
- 4 cups shredded green cabbage
- 2 cups shredded red cabbage (or more green)
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 cups grated carrots (about 2 large carrots)
- 1 sweet red pepper, thinly sliced and slices cut in half
- 1-2 jalapeños, seeded and diced (omit for less spice)
Sesame Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/3 cup olive oil or avocado oil
Toppings:
- 3 tablespoons sliced almonds or chopped
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped parsley or cilantro
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onions or chives
Instructions
Marinate & Cook Chicken:
- Mix together the soy sauce and sriracha until combined.
- Pour mixture over chicken in a shallow pan turning over chicken to make sure all sides are coated in marinade. Place in fridge to marinate for 30 minutes up to 2 hours.
- Grill when ready: Cook over direct heat for 2-3 minutes per side and then move to indirect heat for another 5 minutes per side or until the internal temperature at the thickest part reads 165 degrees F. Set aside while making salad.
- Alternate Cooking Options: You can simply pan-fry the chicken breasts for the same amount of time or use a griddle to cook them.
Vinaigrette:
- Combine vinegar, soy sauce, water, sesame oil, garlic, sesame seeds, and honey in a 1 cup glass measuring cup.
- Whisk in the oil well until incorporated. Note: this does separate, so keep the whisk handy to re-stir before adding to the different parts of the salad.
Salad:
- In a large bowl mix all the cabbage, the onions, carrots, sweet pepper and jalapeños (if using).
- Pour half of the vinaigrette on the cabbage mixture and toss until well coated. Spread onto a large shallow serving bowl or plate (or plate up on individual dinner plates).
- Slice the grilled chicken and arrange on top of cabbage mixture.
- Drizzle the chicken with more of the sesame vinaigrette. Sprinkle any toppings you want on top of the chicken.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 2 hours.*
Notes
Nutrition
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