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Asian Sesame Chicken Salad with Crunchy Cabbage
Recipe

Asian Sesame Chicken Salad with Crunchy Cabbage

Main • South Africa

A colourful, satisfying salad with seared sesame chicken, crisp cabbage, carrots and peppers, tossed in a lighter peanut-sesame dressing.

Why smarter

Uses lean chicken breast and a punchy dressing with a small amount of peanut butter and sesame oil for big flavour, while keeping added sugar and heavy fats in check. Lots of crunchy veg adds volume and fibre.

Chef tip

Slice the chicken after resting so it stays juicy; use a big bowl to toss the salad so the dressing coats evenly without bruising the cabbage.

Soft line

Fresh, crunchy and properly filling.

Ingredients

# Ingredient Text Amount Unit Ingredient Name Notes
1 Chicken breasts, skinless 500.000 g chicken breast
2 Canola or grapeseed oil 2.000 tsp canola oil for cooking
3 Salt 0.500 tsp salt or to taste
4 Black pepper 0.250 tsp black pepper or to taste
5 Green cabbage, finely shredded 500.000 g green cabbage
6 Carrots, grated or julienned 2.000 medium carrot
7 Red pepper, thinly sliced 1.000 medium red bell pepper
8 Spring onions, sliced 3.000 stalks spring onion
9 Coriander (optional), roughly chopped 0.250 cup fresh coriander optional
10 Roasted sesame seeds 2.000 tbsp sesame seeds to finish
11 Soy sauce (or low-sodium) 3.000 tbsp soy sauce
12 Rice vinegar (or white wine vinegar) 2.000 tbsp rice vinegar
13 Honey 1.000 tbsp honey
14 Peanut butter, smooth 1.500 tbsp peanut butter
15 Toasted sesame oil 1.000 tsp sesame oil for flavour
16 Fresh ginger, finely grated 1.000 tsp fresh ginger
17 Garlic, finely grated or crushed 1.000 clove garlic
18 Water 3.000 tbsp water to loosen dressing
19 Chilli flakes or fresh chilli (optional) 0.250 tsp chilli flakes optional

Method

  1. Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper.
  2. Heat canola/grapeseed oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken 5–7 minutes per side (depending on thickness) until cooked through and nicely browned.
  3. Remove chicken to a board and rest for 5 minutes, then slice thinly.
  4. While the chicken rests, add cabbage, carrot, red pepper, spring onions and coriander (if using) to a large bowl.
  5. In a small bowl, whisk soy sauce, vinegar, honey, peanut butter, sesame oil, ginger, garlic and chilli (if using).
  6. Whisk in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dressing is pourable and coats the back of a spoon.
  7. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss well to coat.
  8. Top with sliced chicken and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve immediately (or chill up to 1 day and add sesame seeds just before serving).