Asian Chicken Chopped Salad (Whole30 Paleo Keto) – a deliciously nutritious salad with a sweet and tangy Asian dressing, free of soy or sugar!
One week into our January round of Whole30 and we are going strong! We’re eating super delicious and satisfying food everyday and my cravings for naughty treats have been minimal. Even my husband, who was a hard sell, is sticking to the plan with few complaints. If you need a little push to get started on your own Whole30 journey, head over to this post for a complete Whole30 Survival Guide with menu, shopping list, and tons of tips.
Inspired by the Asian Sesame Chicken Salad in the new Whole30 Cookbook (which I highly recommend!), this recipe is an excellent addition to any Whole30 or Paleo meal plan. Full of crunchy good-for-you veggies and a dressing that is just the right amount of sweet and tangy, it totally hits the spot if you’re having cravings for Asian food! This salad is perfect as a stand alone Whole30/Keto friendly meal, complete with servings of protein (chicken), veggies (cabbage and peppers), and healthy fats (almonds and dressing).
To prepare this salad, I start with the shredded chicken. This foolproof recipe for making shredded chicken in the Instant Pot (favorite appliance ever!!) is my method of choice. I make a big batch on Sunday and add it to all my salads, including this one! Also convenient is store bought rotisserie chicken.
Next is the dressing…sweetened naturally with dates and full of awesome sesame ginger flavor, this dressing is down right drinkable. Update…several readers have noted that a double batch is totally necessary. It also makes an excellent dipping sauce or marinade!
Typically I store the dressing in a mason jar until ready to use. The salad is super easy to throw together using a premade bag of coleslaw mix, red cabbage, sliced red peppers, green onions, and almonds. If I’m going to serve it immediately, I combine everything together at this point. For meal prepping, I keep the dressing separate and toss it in individual servings.
I love these glass containers and cute portable salad dressing bottles for prepping this salad ahead.
Check out my meal prep Mason Jar version of this salad or these Meal Prep Thai Chicken Lettuce Cups for more convenient, tasty, and nutritious lunch options!

Asian Chicken Chopped Salad (Whole30 Paleo) - a deliciously nutritious salad with a sweet and tangy Asian dressing, free of soy or sugar!
- 4 cups cole slaw mix (cabbage with shredded carrots)
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage
- 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced thin
- 1 cup shredded chicken breast
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds
- 2 green onions, finely sliced
- 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 3 large pitted dates
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For the salad, place all ingredients in a large bowl or serving dish and toss to combine.
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For the dressing, combine all ingredients in a small blender or food processor (I used my Magic Bullet.) Process until dates are completely ground and dressing is a slightly creamy texture.
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Best when salad and dressing are combined just before eating.
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56 Comments
Stefanie
April 3, 2017 at 9:30 pmThis is so delicious!!!! Thank you for sharing! Curious if it keeps its crunch after the first day if you mix the dressing in with the salad?
Nikki
April 4, 2017 at 12:11 pmThanks, Stefanie! If I’m going to do individual servings (like for lunch each day), I like to keep the dressing separate and mix it in when I’m ready to eat.
Stefanie
April 12, 2017 at 5:52 pmThank you so much! It was delicious!
Julia
April 6, 2017 at 7:13 pmMade this tonight for dinner and it was AMAZING!!! I added in come cilantro and chopped snap peas because they were in the fridge. Delicious!
Kristin
April 8, 2017 at 9:31 amHow many servings does this generally make?
Nikki
April 8, 2017 at 2:23 pmHi Kristin,
You should get about 8 one-cup servings. Enjoy!
Anthony
April 11, 2017 at 6:17 pmDo you happen to know the nutritional facts with this? Looks amazing and I want to be sure to account for it correctly in my log.
Nikki
April 12, 2017 at 7:03 pmAnthony – I use myfitnesspal for calculating nutritional facts on recipes…when I plug this into the app it comes to about 175 calories per one-cup serving. Hope that helps!
Marci
April 14, 2017 at 10:25 pmHow many servings does this make? Want to make sure I have enough for my lunches next week?
Nikki
April 16, 2017 at 2:24 pmHi Marci, the recipe makes about 8 cups. Happy meal prepping!
Cathy Knudtson
August 11, 2017 at 11:10 pmI just downloaded this app! Can you guide me to where to start calculating recipe facts??
Nikki
August 14, 2017 at 9:54 amHi Cathy, I’m assuming you are referring to the Fitness Pal app. To get nutrition facts, from your dashboard click on More, then click on Meals, Recipes & Foods. Click Create a Recipe. Then click Add from the Web. You will need to copy and paste the url of the recipe here. After it uploads, it will ask you to check the ingredients. Do this because sometimes it gets amounts, etc. wrong. Then save the recipe – per serving nutrition info will be available. Once you get the hang of it, it’s super simple to use! You can add any recipe found on the internet or add recipes manually. I love this app!!!
Cathy Knudtson
August 14, 2017 at 10:49 amThanks! That’s what I did, but have a home recipe, NO URL unfortunately! So couldn’t get it to work without having an URL
Dana
January 27, 2018 at 3:57 pmYou can use myfitnesspal app to figure out nutritional info/calories for home recipes.
Colleen
May 9, 2017 at 8:26 pmThis recipe is amazing. I’m crazy in love with it. I have to double it to have enough for myself and my husband for dinner and lunch the next day. Even my 2.5 year old likes it! And I really love how easy it is.
Nikki
May 10, 2017 at 8:52 pmThanks, Colleen! SO glad you and your family enjoyed the recipe!
Darla
June 4, 2017 at 1:35 pmIs there an alternative for the dates?? Like coconut sugar?
(I don’t need it to be whole30)
Nikki
June 4, 2017 at 4:21 pmDarla, I haven’t tried it but I think coconut sugar or honey would work just great!
KK
January 8, 2018 at 6:17 pmDid you substitute with honey? How much did you use? TIA!!
Beb
June 4, 2017 at 8:54 pmWhat is coconut aminos?
Nikki
June 5, 2017 at 8:11 pmBeb – coconut aminos are a soy-free alternative to soy sauce, made from the sap of coconut blossoms. If you’re concerned about soy in your diet, feel free to use soy sauce.
Lisa
June 18, 2017 at 9:57 pmThis was so good! We loved it!
Nikki
June 19, 2017 at 12:14 pmThanks, Lisa! So glad you enjoyed it!!
Kristine
July 27, 2017 at 9:11 pmWould the amount be the same if using soy sauce?
Nikki
August 7, 2017 at 10:53 amYes, they are an equal swap!
Karen Latva
August 6, 2017 at 8:40 pmYIKES! Recipe Rating and Post Comment tabs are too close together…clearly, I rate this a 5-star recipe…would give it 10 stars if I could…when I was tapping the stars, I tapped post too soon! Sorry…can’t find a delete or edit option!
Karen
August 6, 2017 at 9:00 pmThis is quite possibly the BEST thing I have ever eaten! The dressing is A…MAZ…ING! Whether on or off of Whole30, this recipe will be a frequent guest on the menu planner! Thank you…thank you…thank you!
Jessilyn
August 9, 2017 at 2:02 pmThis was so delicious and perfect for my first week in whole30! Do you know how long the dressing would keep in the fridge? Would love to make a big batch to keep on hand for for later weeks.
Nikki
August 14, 2017 at 9:33 amHi Jessilyn! Thanks so much! I think the dressing could last up to 2 weeks in the frig. Congrats on your first week…Whole30 is a life-changer 🙂
Julie Martin
August 17, 2017 at 10:16 pmThis is our new favorite. The dressing is yummy on other foods too. Great to dip grilled chicken in.
Pam
October 2, 2017 at 9:50 pmLove love love this!!! How many days do you think the shredded chicken is ok in the fridge? I made extra chicken – froze most but wondering if the portion I kept in the fridge is ok after 2 1/2 days or not.
Nikki
October 3, 2017 at 10:28 amHi Pam – the rule of thumb for cooked chicken is 3-4 days. I have gone up to 5, just use your best judgment! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Emily
December 28, 2017 at 4:09 pmIs sesame oil on the whole 30? I thought she said no seed oils.
Nikki
December 28, 2017 at 5:11 pmYes, sesame oil is allowed! 🙂
Melisa
January 4, 2018 at 9:51 pmWow this was good. I shared the recipe with my support/competition group lol. Thanks. I made a double batch of the salad and I’m sure glad I did. How long does the dressing hold ?
Nikki
January 5, 2018 at 11:25 amThanks, Melisa! Glad you enjoyed it! The dressing should keep well up to 2 weeks. But it’s usually long gone before then 😉
Kate
January 8, 2018 at 11:41 amThank you for the recipe–it was delicious! I made a substitution in the dressing because I didn’t have dates on hand. I used crushed pineapple and it worked very well. This is going into my rotation! 🙂
Nikki
January 8, 2018 at 2:56 pmThank you, Kate! Pineapple…what a great idea!!
Jane
January 11, 2018 at 1:04 pmThis was AAAAMAZING! My only regret was not doubling it. I used it as the dressing for Asian chicken Boston lettuce wraps. Not that it needs tweaking but I may try adding a bit of orange juice/zest and red pepper flakes next time. This is the kind of recipe that makes Whole30 sustainable. Thank you!
Ann-Marie Wahlberg
January 15, 2018 at 9:45 amhow many servings are in this recipe? can’t wait to make this! thanks for sharing.
Nikki
January 15, 2018 at 12:23 pmAnn-Marie – roughly 8 one-cup servings. Enjoy!
LAS
January 15, 2018 at 6:40 pmThis looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it. But I can’t have dates or rice vinegar is there substitutes? Thank you.
Nikki
January 16, 2018 at 9:41 amYou could try apple cider vinegar in place of the rice vinegar. I have heard of some readers trying fresh pineapple juice instead of dates. Or if you’re not on the Whole30 plan, honey is a great substitute for adding a little sweetness. 🙂
Amanda
January 19, 2018 at 3:57 pmThis recipe is a true gem! SO satisfying and even better because it’s low guilt! Thank you, this is a staple in our house now.
Nikki
January 19, 2018 at 7:20 pmThanks, Amanda! So glad to hear it! 🙂
Sonja
February 5, 2018 at 8:19 pmAmazing! Love the salad dressing. Thank you.
Nikki
February 6, 2018 at 8:58 amYou’re welcome! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Brenda
February 10, 2018 at 10:55 pmIs rice vinegar allowed on Whole 30?
Nikki
February 12, 2018 at 12:12 pmHi Brenda, Yes rice vinegar is whole30 approved 🙂
Catherine
March 12, 2018 at 10:50 pmHave all the ingredients and can’t wait to try it. Just kind of scratching my head at the amount of chicken. One cup of chicken divided 8 ways equals 2 tablespoons of chicken per serving! Shouldn’t a Whole30 meal closer to half and half, protein and veggies? I guess I could throw some extra chicken in there. What do you think? Thanks for the great recipe.
Nikki
March 13, 2018 at 10:39 amThe recipe makes approximately 8 cups total, so I chose to break down the nutritional analysis based on a 1 cup serving. I would typically eat 2-2 1/2 servings at a time, though! 🙂
Gaurav
April 2, 2018 at 1:56 amIt was AMAZING
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Sarah
April 23, 2018 at 2:07 pmIt was a good thing that I was alone when I had this for lunch because I licked my bowl clean. No, really…I did. It was sooooo good! I made a double batch but didn’t double the dates. I didn’t want too much sugar in it. Going to share this recipe on my health mom’s FB page! Thank you
Nikki
April 23, 2018 at 2:32 pmSarah – thanks for the awesome review! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!