Sesame Ginger Chicken Salad

If you happen to follow me on Pinterest, you may be here as the result of a FLOOD of delicious salad recipes.

I’ve been on a main dish salad making kick the past month or so, finally getting around to photographing every one of the colorful salad options that we make on a regular basis, since going low carb.

This easy recipe involves tender chicken being cooked up in a quick glaze - no marinating needed.

It’s then distributed over crunchy salads - already bursting with fresh flavor - and topped off with a flavorful dressing.

That dressing is my delicious peanut dressing - an absolute favorite for us.

We also use it in my Chicken Satay Salad, which is one of our favorite salads ever - though that one isn’t keto, and isn’t SUPER low carb.

Anyway.

This is a great recipe to throw together as a quick meal for the whole family. The chicken takes just minutes to cook, and the dressing takes even less time than that.

Let’s get to it!

Ingredients

This hearty salad is a SUPER simple recipe, and you’ll definitely be able to find all the ingredients in almost any grocery store - Asian grocery stores, included!

I tend to look at this in 4 parts - the base salad, the toppings, the dressing, and the chicken. Some notes for you:

Base Salad

I like to meal prep several days worth of salad base bowls on grocery day - some sort of fresh greens, along with some fairly neutral fresh vegetables rounding out the base salad ingredients - Usually shredded broccoli stems, carrot, green onions, cucumber, and radish.

1 batch makes 10 salads, so we’ve got a few days worth of base salads to adorn all kinds of different ways. (They tend to last 6-7 days in the fridge.

It’s a pretty slick way to get a lot of fresh veggies into our diet, and feels like SO much less work than making full salads individually.

See my Salad Meal Prep post for full details on how I do it.

Want to make this salad as a standalone thing?

You can use a base of salad greens: Fresh lettuce, spring mix, baby spinach, iceberg lettuce, and/or romaine lettuce. I’d add some cucumber and green onions in, for good measure.

Salad Toppings

Because the protein for this salad - ginger sesame chicken - is so brown, I like to use brightly coloured fresh vegetables to top my base salad, providing the perfect balance to the dish.

This can vary from time to time, but our favorite toppings tend to be:

Red Cabbage
Shelled Edamame (shelled, cooked, and cooled)
Watermelon Radish
Carrot
Fresh Cilantro

Crunchy cabbage is a great low carb option, so sometimes I’ll use a green cabbage as well - usually Napa cabbage / Chinese cabbage, thinly sliced or chopped.

Bell peppers are a good option as well - I like red bell pepper in particular.

On the days when I’m not AS strict on carbs, I like to toss on some snap peas, sliced water chestnuts, and/or sweet mandarin oranges.

It’s a salad - do what you like!

The Peanut Dressing

When it came to choosing an Asian salad dressing to go with my sesame ginger chicken, I customized an old favourite - my peanut sauce - and made it into a dressing recipe.

I love the nutty flavor of this dressing, it’s a great contrast with the brightness of the vegetables I tend to use.

You will need:

Creamy peanut butter
Canned coconut milk
Fresh Cilantro
Swerve Brown Sugar Substitute
Gluten Free Soy Sauce or Coconut Aminos
Lime juice
Ginger garlic paste
1 teaspoon Fish sauce
Sriracha or red pepper flakes, to taste

As far as substitutions go, you can use rice vinegar, rice wine vinegar, or calamansi juice in place of the lime juice, if you’d like.

If you don’t have ginger garlic paste, feel free to grate some fresh ginger and crush fresh garlic cloves instead.

Finally, if you’re not trying to keep keto, use real brown sugar instead of substitute.

Sesame Ginger Chicken

I use boneless skinless chicken breast to make the ginger garlic topping for this entree salad, but feel free to use boneless skinless chicken thighs if you prefer - 2 or 3 per person, depending on the size.

In addition, you will need:

Gluten Free Soy Sauce or Coconut Aminos
Sesame Oil
Sesame Seeds
Ginger Garlic Paste
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

No real notes on any of it - it’s a super simple recipe.

How to Make Sesame Ginger Chicken Salad

The full recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post. Here is the pictorial walk through, with some more detailed information where necessary.

Peanut Dressing

Measure all ingredients into a mini food processor, blitz until well combined.

If not using right away, cover with plastic wrap - or transfer to an airtight container - and chill until serving.

Note: Depending on the peanut butter used, your dressing may thicken or solidify when chilled.

If this happens, microwave for 20 seconds or so, and give it a good stir.

Sesame Ginger Chicken

Trim chicken breasts, if needed, and slice into thin strips. Season with a bit of salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick pan over medium high heat.

Add chicken, sautee until browned on all sides.

In a small bowl, whisk together ginger garlic paste, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Add to the browned chicken, stirring to combine chicken and sauce, being sure to fully coat the chicken.

Continue to saute until chicken is cooked through.

Sprinkle sesame seeds over chicken, stir well to coat.

Salad Assembly

Fluff the base salads, or divide salad greens between 4 bowls.

Arrange vegetables, edamame, and cilantro over the base salads / salad greens.

Top salads with cooked sesame ginger chicken.

Serve immediately, with peanut dressing.

More Keto Main Dish Salad Recipes

Looking for more low carb salad recipes that are substantial enough to serve as a meal? Look no further!

Buffalo Chicken Salad
Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad
Cobb Salad
Italian Sub Salad
Keto Taco Salad
Mediterranean Chicken Salad
Salad Meal Prep
Seafood Cobb Salad
Seared Tuna Salad
Shawarma Chicken Salad
Steak Salad with Creamy Wasabi Dressing
Thai Pesto Salmon Salad

Share the Love!

Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you Instagram it, be sure to tag me - @LowCarbHoser - or post it to My Facebook Page - so I can cheer you on!

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... and hey, if you love the recipe, please consider leaving a star rating and comment! (Sharing the post on social media is always appreciated, too!)