This Bang Bang Chicken Salad recipe is so easy to prep and packed with flavor!
Featuring homemade bang bang dressing and rotisserie chicken, this meal takes less than 20 minutes to prepare with no cooking required!
This Bang Bang Chicken Salad recipe is perfect for high-protein meal prep! It features a tangy-sweet sauce and a crisp texture thanks to cabbage, bean sprouts, and shredded carrot.
Why You'll Love It:
- Uses leftover chicken. This recipe was developed using leftover roast chicken, which is one of our favorite shortcuts. If you prefer, you can use cooked chicken breasts instead.
- Balance of texture and flavor. This chicken salad recipe is crisp, yet creamy, sweet, savory, and tangy. It has it all!
- Great for meal prep. Fresh veggies and shredded chicken pair with a delicious sauce for the perfect easy lunch (or refreshing dinner).
Ingredients
- Chicken: We like to pick up a rotisserie chicken and pick the meat off the bones, but if you prefer, you can cook 1-1 ½ pounds of chicken breast to use instead.
- Cabbage: Both napa cabbage and red cabbage are used. If you can't find napa cabbage, green cabbage works just fine. Make sure to shred it nice and thin!
- Carrot: You will need 1 cup of shredded carrot. You can buy it pre-shredded for convenience, or shred your own with a box grater. A large carrot (or 2 small) yields 1 cup.
- Bean sprouts: These add a pleasant crunch and bulk up the salad! They can be left out if you don't have any on hand.
- Edamame: AKA shelled soybeans. We buy these frozen and let them thaw.
- Cucumber: We like to use mini cucumbers, but English cucumbers work well too!
- Green onion: Sliced thinly, these add a subtle onion flavor.
- Chopped peanuts: For a garnish, crunch, and slightly nutty flavor. They are optional!
For the bang bang dressing:
- Mayonnaise (or a mix of mayo and Greek Yogurt)
- Sweet chili sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Soy sauce
- Sriracha
- Maple syrup
- Lime juice
- Garlic
How to Make Bang Bang Chicken Salad
First, make the bang bang dressing:
Whisk the following ingredients together in a mixing bowl:
- ¾ cup mayonnaise (or half mayonnaise and half Greek yogurt)
- ⅓ cup sweet chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (or tamari)
- 2-4 teaspoons sriracha
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 minced clove of garlic
Then, make the rest of the salad:
- Add the napa cabbage, red cabbage, cucumber, carrot, edamame, and green onion to a large bowl.
- Toss well until combined.
- Add 3 cups of cooked and shredded (or cubed) chicken.
- Drizzle about half of the bang bang sauce over the salad, then toss well until the salad is evenly coated.
- Sprinkle the bean sprouts on top of the salad and toss until they are well incorporated.
- Add some extra bang bang dressing to the salad until you get the perfect amount. Note that you should have some leftover sauce - the recipe makes a generous amount!
Garnish with chopped peanuts, extra bean sprouts, and sliced green onion. Serve and enjoy!
Extra Flavor Options
- Peanut butter or tahini. Add a tablespoon of peanut butter or tahini (sesame paste) to the bang bang dressing mixture.
- Sesame oil. For a boost of flavor, add 2 teaspoons of sesame oil to the dressing. Garnish the salad with sesame seeds for a little extra crunch and flavor.
- Chili oil. Add a bit of chili crisp to the finished salad for crunch and extra heat.
Expert Tips
- Chopping the peanuts: If you don't want to use a sharp knife (or don't have a nut chopper), try putting the nuts in a ziplock bag and smashing them with a rolling pin.
- Making ahead: If you want to prep this for a potluck, assemble the salad but leave the dressing off until just before serving. Store the salad and the dressing in separate airtight containers in the fridge until needed.
- Only add as much dressing as you need. It's important to add a little at a time, just until you get the perfect texture. You will have extra Bang Bang sauce leftover - this recipe makes a generous amount!
Top Tip: Try some of the leftover bang bang sauce with our favorite air fryer salmon bites!
If you loved this recipe for Chicken and Cabbage Salad let me know by leaving a 5-star review in the recipe card or comment below! You can also tag me on Instagram @dashfordinner.
Bang Bang Chicken Salad
This high protein Bang Bang Chicken Salad recipe is SO EASY to make, and features everyone's favorite bang bang sauce!
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Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 650kcal
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded napa cabbage or green cabbage
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup sliced cucumber
- 1 cup edamame shelled (frozen and thawed is fine)
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken or cubed
- 1 cup bean sprouts (optional)
- ⅓ cup chopped roasted peanuts
Bang bang dressing (you will have leftovers; cut in half if you like a lightly dressed salad*)
- ¾ cup mayonnaise or half mayonnaise and half Greek yogurt**
- ⅓ cup sweet chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free
- 2-4 teaspoons sriracha or to taste
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1 lime juiced (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1 clove garlic minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the dressing. Add the mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, sriracha, rice vinegar, maple syrup, lime juice, and minced garlic to a small bowl. Whisk together until smooth. Taste and adjust to your liking: salt and pepper; add more sriracha for heat, lime juice for tang, or sweet chili sauce for sweetness.
- Assemble the salad. Add the shredded napa cabbage, red cabbage, carrots, cucumber, edamame, and green onions to a large bowl. Stir well.
- Add the chicken. Sprinkle the cooked chicken on top of the salad and drizzle about half of the bang bang dressing on top. Toss until well combined. Keep adding dressing and tossing the salad until it's dressed just how you like it (some like a drier salad, some like a lot of dressing)
- Add the bean sprouts. Sprinkle on the fresh bean sprouts and toss the salad again.
- Sprinkle with chopped peanuts before serving, and serve extra bang bang dressing on the side.
Did you try this recipe?Tag me at @dashfordinner and share your photos!
Notes
The nutritional information is based on using half of the dressing and is an estimate only.
*What to do with leftover sauce: You will have quite a bit of leftover sauce. It can be used to add to salads or as a dipping sauce for chicken tenders. Leftover dressing keeps for 4-5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
**Using Greek yogurt dressing: This recipe can be made with half plain Greek yogurt or Skyr yogurt. We still recommend keeping some mayonnaise (about half and half seems to be the perfect ratio) to keep that classic Bang Bang sauce flavor.
Storage: Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 1-2 days (assuming the chicken is freshly cooked; otherwise, follow the storage timeline for the chicken used). The texture will be less crisp, but the flavor will still be good! For the best results, store the salad and dressing separately until needed.
Chicken: We like to use leftover roast chicken or rotisserie chicken for this recipe. If starting with raw chicken, season and cook about 1 pound of chicken to yield 3 cups once cooked and cubed.
Make-ahead instructions: Store the salad and dressing separately. The salad will store well like this for 1-2 days. Once dressed, it’s best to eat up within the same day.
Nutrition
Calories: 650kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 22g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 697mg | Potassium: 862mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 5881IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 122mg | Iron: 3mg
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Dorothy Bigelow says
This salad is nicely crunchy, yet creamy, sweet, and with a tiny bit of heat too. My husband says it's his favorite chicken salad!
Mary says
what is thecserving size?
Dorothy Bigelow says
Hi Mary! We serves about 4 people, so a rough serving size would be 1/4 of the recipe. I like to pack it into a bowl, split it in half, then in half again to make quarters.