Bang Bang Chicken Salad

Print Recipe

This high protein Bang Bang Chicken Salad recipe is SO EASY to make, and features everyone's favorite bang bang sauce!

Course Lunch, Main Course, Main Dishes

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Total Time 20

Servings servings

Calories 650

Author Dorothy Bigelow

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.

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