Chicken Ramen Noodle Salad

This classic Chicken Ramen Noodle Salad recipe is crunchy, fresh, and full of bold flavour with tender chicken, crisp cabbage, and a sweet-savoury sesame dressing. The crushed ramen noodles add texture while the almonds and green onions bring extra crunch and flavour. It’s the perfect make-ahead salad for summer gatherings, potlucks, or workday lunch meal prep.

There are many great recipes you can make using packaged Asian ramen noodles. The most obvious is ramen soup or a noodle bowl with other ingredients like marinated Ramen Eggs added to bulk it up. However, if you like to think outside the box (or rather bag), try these kid approved Slow Cooker Ramen Noodles.

Ramen Noodle Salad

This crunchy Ramen Noodle Salad brings back such great childhood memories. It happily replaced my aunties’ jellied lime horseradish salad at family gatherings in the late 80’s. Safe to say that a salad that’s been around that long is a ‘keeper’ and now I understand why.

Toasted sliced almonds, cabbage, and ramen noodles all combine to make this salad a textural wonderland. Besides the crunch factor, the soy sauce sesame dressing is so darn tasty and well balanced. I love how all that flavour gets absorbed into the noodles yet somehow, they still retain some texture.

Back in the day there was no bagged coleslaw mix so the shredding and chopping was done by hand. These days a bag of coleslaw mix includes all the red cabbage, green cabbage and shredded carrots needed to cut the prep time down to minutes. It’s a quick recipe that is ready in only 15 minutes!

Need more lunchbox meal prep ideas? This Ramen Noodle Salad beats any pasta salad and only gets better as it sits in the fridge. Add shredded chicken or grilled shrimp for an extra protein boost. Lastly, this is THE perfect salad for any outdoor or summer gathering. The mayonnaise free dressing means that it can sit out for a few hours, especially if you omit the chicken.

Ingredients in Ramen Noodle Salad

Nothing beats this classic combination of Ramen Noodle Salad ingredients:

• Chicken
• Coleslaw Mix
• Ramen Noodles
• Almonds
• Green Onions
• Vegetable Oil
• Soy Sauce
• Granulated Sugar
• Rice Wine Vinegar
• Sesame Oil

For added convenience, use shredded rotisserie chicken or cook and shred two chicken breasts or four chicken thighs for this recipe.

Coleslaw mix generally contains red cabbage, green cabbage, and shredded carrots. If you find that there isn’t enough red cabbage or carrots in the mix, feel free to add more.

You can use sliced raw almonds or even almond slivers in this recipe. I like them with the skin on for more visual contrast. Replace almonds with sunflower seeds to make a nut free salad. I highly recommend adding both white and black sesame seeds to this salad.

Measure the onions with your heart. Just grab the bunch of green onions and start chopping the greens. Save the whites for another recipe.

Olive oil, canola oil, or neutral vegetable oil will work for the dressing and use 4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce in place of regular soy sauce, if needed. Similarly, feel free to replace granulated sugar with honey or omit the sugar altogether.

You can replace the rice wine vinegar with apple cider vinegar, but it will have a different flavour and pronounced sweetness.

How to Make Ramen Noodle Salad

Besides the ingredients, you will need a large mixing bowl, a small mixing bowl and a whisk (or a jar with a lid), a serving spoon, a frying pan, a knife, and a chopping board. Pro tip: Toast the almonds in a dry frying pan for a few minutes until they turn golden brown.

Place the cooked chicken and coleslaw mix in a large mixing bowl. Add the crushed ramen noodles (discard the seasoning packet or save for another use), sliced almonds, white and black sesame seeds (optional but highly recommended!) and sliced green onions to the bowl with the chicken and cabbage.

In a separate bowl or mason jar with a lid, add the vegetable oil, soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Whisk or shake until the sugar is dissolved and the dressing is smooth.

Pour the dressing over the salad mixture and toss everything together until evenly coated. Let the salad sit for about 10–15 minutes before serving so the noodles soften and absorb some of the dressing. Toss once again before serving to redistribute the dressing.

Recipe Variations

1. Spice it up by adding sriracha sauce, chili oil, or chili crisp to the dressing.
2. Add steamed edamame or sweet corn kernels for extra vegetables. You can also add extra shredded carrots if you like more than what came in the coleslaw mix.
3. Add a can of drained mandarin oranges for a touch of sweetness.
4. Instead of cooked chicken, add grilled shrimp or crispy tofu for more protein.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

• Love it extra crunchy? Skip the ‘sitting’ time and mix the dressing into the salad just before serving.
• Lightly toast the almonds for extra nutty flavour.
• Use rotisserie chicken for added convenience.
• Make it spicy by adding sriracha sauce, chili oil, or chili crisp to the dressing.

Storing the Leftovers

Refrigerate Ramen Noodle Salad for up to 3 days. However, for best texture it is best to eat within 24 hours. After this time, the noodles and almond will lose texture.

Hi! I’m Bernice Hill, the heart and soul behind Dish ‘n’ the Kitchen. It is my pleasure to share easy to follow recipes that are delicious, nutritious, and approachable for the whole family.

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