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This delicious copycat Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad is topped with breaded chicken and tossed in a flavorful Asian dressing!
For a fun way to switch up your typical salad, try giving it some oriental flavor! Give this tasty Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad, Asian Ramen Salad, or Chinese Pasta Salad a try.
A copycat Salad recipe
Who here loves salad? I’m not lying when I say that I order salad 90% of the time when we go out to eat. So yummy!
I’ve noticed that I have my favorite salad at each restaurant, and my favorite from Applebee’s is their oriental chicken salad. This copycat Chinese chicken salad recipe tastes just like the real thing!!
The salad contains a bed of greens, topped with breaded chicken, almonds, rice noodles, and a delicious vinaigrette.
My favorite part of this salad is all the extra goodies in it, including almonds and the dressing. It’s so hearty and has so many great Asian style flavors in it. If you’re a salad lover you’ll definitely love it!
homemade oriental Dressing
This tasty Chinese chicken salad dressing is made with just five ingredients!
- honey
- rice vinegar
- mayo
- dijon mustard
- sesame oil
DRESSING. Simply mix the ingredients together, and refrigerate until you’re ready to pour it over the salad.
It might be a good idea to serve the oriental salad dressing on the side so that people can add as little or as much as they’d like. It will also help any leftover salad last longer in the fridge.
Make the salad
Once the dressing is made and in the fridge, it’s time to make the rest of this oriental salad!
PREP. In a large saucepan preheat oil over medium-high heat. While that is warming up, cut your chicken breast into several long thin strips. Set aside.
BREAD CHICKEN. Beat egg and milk together in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, panko, salt, and pepper. Dip the strips in the egg mixture, and then into the flour, coating completely.
FRY CHICKEN. When oil is hot, carefully add chicken strips and fry for 3-4 minutes or until cooked through or golden brown. Set on a paper towel to cool. Once cool, cut into bite-size pieces.
PREPARE SALAD. Combine the romaine, red cabbage, napa cabbage, and carrots. Add chopped chicken pieces and sprinkle with almonds. Top with delicious honey oriental dressing and enjoy!
Ingredient Variations
Salads are so easy to adjust to fit your favorite flavors and this one is no different. However, with too many alterations, it may not be considered a copycat. That’s ok, as long as you love it!
Here are a few of our ideas:
- Chicken: Instead of Panko crumbs, use crushed cornflakes or Ritz crackers.
- Fruits and Veggies: Add mandarin oranges or diced bell pepper.
- Nuts: Sub the almonds for chopped roasted cashews or toasted sesame seeds.
Recipe tips
Oil. When frying food, choose an oil that has a high smoke point such as vegetable oil, canola oil, peanut oil, shortening, or even lard.
Air fry chicken. Using an air fryer is easy and a little healthier. Preheat the air fryer to 350°F. Arrange strips in the basket, making sure they are not touching.
Cook the chicken for about 12 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165° F. You may need to cook the chicken in batches.
Bake chicken. Bake chicken in the oven. Preheat oven to 425° F and bake for 15-20 minutes.
Making Ahead and Storing
Make ahead of time. Make this copycat Chinese chicken salad up to a day ahead of time. Store the chicken in its own airtight container.
Place all other ingredients in the salad bowl, cover with a paper towel to help soak up excess moisture and cover with plastic wrap or a lid.
Right before serving remove the lid and paper towel, then add the chicken and dressing.
Recipe FAQ
A full serving of this salad at Applebees is 1440 cal. The ingredients listed in my recipe can be divided up into 4 filling dinner salads which would be about 819 calories each. You can save a few calories and carbohydrates by using grilled chicken on top of the salad or serving the vinaigrette on the side
Yes! You can bake or air-fry the chicken instead of frying it in oil. See the “Recipe Tips” section for more details.
For more Asian salad recipes, try:
- Asian Pasta Salad
- Chinese Chicken Salad
- Asian Noodle Salad
- Asian Citrus Chicken Salad
- Chinese Pasta Salad
Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Dressing
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 1/2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
Fried Chicken
- 2 chicken breast
- 1 egg
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup panko
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3 cups vegetable oil for frying
Salad
- 4 cups romaine lettuce chopped
- 1/2 cup red cabbage chopped
- 1/2 cup napa cabbage chopped
- 1 carrot shredded
- 3 tablespoons sliced almonds
Instructions
- Blend together all dressing ingredients and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- In a large saucepan, preheat oil over medium-high heat.
- While that is warming up, cut your chicken breast into several long thin strips. Set aside.
- Beat egg and milk together in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, panko, salt, and pepper. Dip the strips in the egg mixture, and then into the flour, coating completely.
- When oil is hot, carefully add chicken strips and fry for 3-4 minutes or until cooked through or golden brown. Set on a paper towel to cool. Once cool, cut into bite-size pieces.
- To prepare your salad, combine the romaine, red cabbage, napa cabbage, and carrots. Add chopped chicken pieces and sprinkle with almonds. Top with delicious honey oriental dressing and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was delicious! I moved overseas and have been missing all of my restaurant faves. The dressing was bang-on. I couldn’t get the chow mein noodles so subbed out sesame snaps.
It was so good, my husband ate my second serving! ☹️
Oh I’m so glad you enjoyed the salad. And also happy to hear you could make something similar to what you love and miss back home!
Great salad and dressing, but I won’t bake the chicken next time. It was bland and was not crispy or brown much at all.
I’m sorry the chicken didn’t turn out as you had hoped. Thanks so much for trying it! I’m glad you liked the salad and dressing.
I make this with air fryer chicken to cut some calories & make it a tad bit healthier! It’s perfection!!!
Ooh that’s a great idea! Thanks for sharing!
Made this yesterday and it’s DELISH! The dressing is THE BOMB!
Thank you!! I’m so glad you enjoyed the salad… and the dressing. 😉
I don’t see chow mein noodles listed in the recipe. What kind of noodles do you use?
Thank you!
Yes I use chow mein noodles in this recipe. I include it in the directions but not in the ingredient list. Thanks for catching that! I will make the change. 🙂
Just mixed up this dressing. It is delicious! Can’t wait to have it for dinner tonight.I didn’t have sesame oil on hand so I used olive oil and sprinkled in some sesame seeds. I always make my chicken with corn flake crumb breading, it’s always so crispy. Thanks for the dressing recipe!
The crispy chicken sounds like a perfect addition for this salad. Thanks for sharing what you do!
Can I reuse the oil after frying the chicken? Please send answer to my inbox using my email address .
I just sent an email to your inbox. 🙂
If the oil is not burnt. I save it.Which means it has to be clear. I strain it and put it in a jar and put it in the fridge until the next time I need to fry chicken. I’ve done this for many years and my mother did it and so far we’ve had no problems .
Hi,, Kristyn! I love, love this salad and haven’t made it in some time (but don’t know why???) It’s amazing! Your sweet family looks so cute and loving. You certainly have your hands full. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe! That will be our dinner tonight bc I have one lonely chicken breast in the ref that I had to think of something for dinner to make with it. Have a wonderful spring and summer!
Awe, thank you so much for your kind words. You are so sweet! That makes my day! I hope you enjoyed this salad for dinner and I hope you have a wonderful spring and summer season as well!
This is one of my favorite salads! We eat it all the time!! Especially in the Summer!!😋
Love Love Love this dressing!Thanks for sharing.
Glad to share! Thank you so much!!