Crunchy, colorful, and delicious, this easy chicken and cabbage salad with miso sesame vinaigrette is a must-try. It is packed with flavor and is so straightforward to make that you can throw it together in under 30 minutes.
Jump to:
❓Why this is the best recipe
All the raw vegetables make this rainbow salad a riot of color, texture, and flavor and it's one of the best summer salad recipes for a lunch buffet table or picnic. You can swap out the protein if you like and add more nuts or include extra crunchy vegetables. What's more, the salad dressing is so moreish, you'll want to put it on everything!
📖 Ingredients List
For the salad
- Boneless chicken thighs—These stay juicy with less risk of drying out than boneless skinless chicken breasts. If you have leftover roast chicken, you can also use it!
- Cooking oil - Use one with a high smoke point that is suitable for oven roasting. I don't recommend olive oil for this dish because it doesn't fit the flavor profile.
- Cabbage - red cabbage or purple cabbage works well, but other green cabbage varieties like savoy cabbage can be subbed in. Slice it into very thin strips.
- Carrot - You can grate it or finely slice it, but try to keep the pieces thin.
- Cucumber - I like to peel the tougher skins off, slice it in half lengthways, and scrape out the seeds. Otherwise, it can make the chopped chicken and cabbage salad a bit watery.
- Bell pepper - red pepper, yellow pepper, orange pepper, or green pepper will all work. I prefer to use red bell peppers.
- Cashew nuts - For added crunch and flavor. They can be plain or roasted.
- Coriander leaves—This aromatic herb (also known as cilantro) tastes fantastic with Asian flavors. The stems carry as much taste as the leaves, so you can use them all.
- Lime - a squeeze of this over the cooked chicken gives it a lovely lift.
For the dressing
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 teaspoons neutral oil
- 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste (also known as Shiro miso, mellow miso, or sweet miso).
- 1 tablespoon finely diced shallot
- 1 small clove of minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
See the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for full quantities and step-by-step directions on how to make Chopped Chicken & Cabbage Salad with Miso Sesame Vinaigrette.
👩🏼🍳 Instructions
Preheat the oven to 185C/365F. Pour the cooking oil into the oven tray and add the chicken thighs, spreading them flat, and season with salt and pepper.
Roast the chicken thighs for 15-20 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 74C/165F. Let them rest for 5 minutes for juicy chicken before shredding or chopping into small pieces.
Measure all the vinaigrette dressing ingredients into a jar and shake vigorously to emulsify.
Slice the vegetables into thin pieces and place them on a serving platter. Top with the chicken, cashews, and dressing and toss. Sprinkle the coriander on top to garnish and squeeze over some extra lime juice.
🌟 Top Tip
If you like a bit of spice, add some fresh chopped fresh chilies or red pepper flakes to the salad dressing.
👩🏼🍳 Chef's Tips & Serving suggestions
I often refer to this chicken and cabbage salad recipe as an 'everybody in the pool salad' as you can add whatever you like to it. Bean sprouts, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, bok choy, crispy shallots, feel free to throw in whatever you have. To make it more substantial, plating it on a bed of glass noodles can be a great idea. This simple salad is best served at room temperature.
🍷 Wine pairing
A mineral-rich Chenin Blanc will work well with the flavors of this dish.
❄️ Storage & Freezing
Store leftover chicken and cabbage salad in an airtight container or covered large bowl in the fridge and finish it within 2-3 days. The crunchy cabbage and other vegetables might lose some of their firm texture over time. I do not recommend freezing this recipe.
🥣 Equipment
Roast the chicken on a large-rimmed baking sheet that will catch any juices. Using an instant-read thermometer is super useful when it comes to cooking poultry! Combine the salad dressing ingredients in a jar or small bowl.
❓Recipe FAQ
Take the meat off the bone and use the shredded chicken in an easy salad, then make a bone broth to use in soups, sauces, and risottos.
🍽 Other salad recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Have you tried this recipe?
If you make this recipe, I'd love to hear how it went! Please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment as well. Your feedback helps other readers and is greatly appreciated.
📖 Recipe
Chopped Chicken & Cabbage Salad with Miso Sesame Vinaigrette
Equipment
- 1 Jar
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
For the salad
- 6 Boneless chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 red cabbage
- 1 bell pepper
- ½ cucumber peeled and de-seeded
- 3 carrots peeled
- 1 lime
- 3 tablespoon cashew nuts
For the dressing
- 1 tablespoon finely diced shallot
- 1 minced garlic clove
- 2 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey (or similar e.g. agave/rice syrup)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 teaspoon canola oil or other neutral oil
- 2 teaspoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander/cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Place the diced shallot and minced garlic in a jar or bowl with the rice vinegar and honey to allow it to pickle slightly.
- Add all the other ingredients except the fresh coriander/cilantro and shake to whisk vigorously to thoroughly combine. Season to taste if needed with salt, but it is unlikely to need it.
- Add the chopped herbs before serving and shake again to recombine.
Comments
No Comments