My Asian Ramen Salad is a bright, crunchy dish made with fresh napa cabbage, cooked chicken, toasted slivered almonds and crushed ramen noodles. It comes together in minutes with just a few simple ingredients. If you’ve avoided cabbage, try napa cabbage — its mild, slightly sweet leaves are tender like romaine but heartier, and they make an excellent base for this salad. This easy recipe has been a favorite in the Jones household for more than 15 years. It’s so popular that when I once hosted more than 50 guests, I served this salad alongside my homemade French bread. The dish disappeared quickly and many people asked for the recipe to take home.
What is the Difference Between Napa Cabbage and Regular Cabbage?
Napa cabbage has a texture and flavor that sits between romaine lettuce and traditional green cabbage. Its leaves and stem are tender and slightly sweet like romaine but a bit firmer, so it holds up well in salads while still being pleasant to eat raw. Napa cabbage also cooks faster than regular cabbage and wilts more readily, so it’s often used raw in salads when you want crispness without toughness. It grows in an oblong head and can be quite large — a typical head weighs around 2 pounds. If you haven’t cooked with napa cabbage before, it’s likely to become a new favorite green.
What to Serve with Chinese Chicken Salad
This Asian-style chicken salad works well as a main course or a side. Despite its flavors, it pairs nicely with a warm loaf of bread. Fresh fruit such as melon or pineapple complements the salad’s savory-sweet dressing, and simple steamed vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower make a light, healthy addition.
How to Toast Ramen Noodles for Salads
Although packaged ramen noodles are pre-fried, toasting them in butter intensifies their crunch and adds a richer flavor. For this salad, crush the ramen noodles into small pieces, combine them with slivered almonds, then toast both in a couple tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Stir frequently until the noodles and almonds turn golden brown, then remove from heat and sprinkle in the ramen seasoning packet for extra flavor once they’re cooled slightly. The result is a crunchy, savory topping that contrasts nicely with the tender cabbage.
Asian Ramen Salad Video
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Asian Ramen Salad
5 Stars
5 from 1 review
This napa cabbage salad is a family favorite — and the kids love it too.
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: Serves 8
Ingredients
Scale
Salad
- 1 large head napa cabbage, chopped
- 3 cups cooked chicken
- 8 green onions, chopped
- 3 ounces chicken-flavored ramen noodles, crushed
- 1 cup slivered almonds
- 2 Tb butter
Dressing
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 Tb soy sauce
- 1 1/2 Tb sesame oil
- 6 Tb sugar
Instructions
1. Combine the chopped napa cabbage, cooked chicken and green onions in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar to make the dressing.
2. In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the crushed ramen noodles and slivered almonds and toast, stirring frequently, until golden brown. Remove from heat and stir in the ramen seasoning packet for added flavor.
3. Pour the dressing over the salad, add the toasted noodle-and-almond mixture, and toss to combine. Serve immediately. If you prefer, keep the dressing and crunchy topping separate and combine just before serving to preserve the crunch.
- Author: Carole Jones
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Fresh
- Cuisine: Asian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8
- Calories: 386
- Sugar: 13 g
- Sodium: 483 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 19 g
- Cholesterol: 37 mg