I’m already dreaming of those hot August River trips—long days on the water and warm evenings when cooking feels like too much. That’s when I turn to the super simple, no-cook menu I designed specifically for summer nights. This recipe is one of my go-to favorites from my cookbook featuring tasty meals with absolutely no cooking required. Yep, you read that right—not a single burner or flame needed! Grab the cookbook and make your next trip even easier: LINK to BUY ON AMAZON
Chinese Chicken Salad
(Crunchy, Flavorful & Easy – Vegetarian Option Available!)
Chinese Chicken Salad—crunchy, tangy, and packed with flavor. Once the summer heat hits give this one a try. It is one of my favorites!
Servings: 4 hearty portions
Ingredients
- 2 packages Top Ramen noodles (seasoning packets discarded)
- ¾ to 1 small head green cabbage, thinly sliced
- 7–8 green onions, chopped
- 1 cup grated carrots (about 1 large carrot)
- 12.5 to 20 oz. canned chicken, drained
- 6 Tbsp. sugar
- ¾ cup vegetable or olive oil
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ cup white wine vinegar
- 1 ½ tsp. black pepper
- ¾ cup slivered or sliced almonds
Instructions
- Prepare the Vegetables & Noodles:
- Core and thinly slice the cabbage.
- Chop the green onions.
- Grate the carrot.
- While the Top Ramen noodles are still in their package, carefully crush them into small bite-sized pieces. Discard the seasoning packets (too salty!).
- Mix the Salad Base:
- In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, green onions, carrots, and crushed ramen noodles.
- Make the Dressing:
- In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, salt, vinegar, and black pepper until fully emulsified (about 1–2 minutes).
- Combine & Marinate:
- Pour the dressing over the salad mixture and toss well.
- Let it sit for at least 15–30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and the noodles to soften slightly.
- Add the Chicken & Almonds:
- Just before serving, fold in the drained chicken and slivered almonds. Toss lightly and serve immediately.
Vegetarian Option: Simply omit the chicken for a delicious vegetarian version!
I’m surprised you don’t use (toasted) sesame oil (at least a bit), along with some ginger. That would really give it some Asian flavor. I’ve had something similar in a restaurant. Some candied ginger might even work, since you’re adding sugar anyway, and it also makes a great “quick energy” snack (for quick energy). Also supposed to help settle an upset stomach- a mild one, anyway.
I’d prob also add some heat- the spicy kind- by adding sambal, or similar.
What great ideas! love it! Next time I make this salad I am going to add sesame oil and candied ginger. Thanks so much for the feedback.
I thought more about it last night, and there must have been some soy sauce in the noodle dish, too, which would likely be a nice addition for this as well- along with substituting rice vinegar (I always have it on hand to make stir fry sauces). Tahini, in place of some of the oil, might also be nice, and could have been in the original.
The soy sauce especially (in place of the salt?), would do a lot to round out the flavor- umami. There are more than a few Asian inspired salad dressings that use tahini, soy sauce, and rice vinegar as a base. Soy sauce is something that should be a kitchen box staple, anyway. Getting people to think about which flavors work well together, and having ample options in the pantry, should be as important a lesson in a cookbook as actual recipes.
I can’t recall what other flavors were in that noodle/salad dish- in Crested Butte 20+ years ago- but it was very Asian tasting. The chef was Marco, at a short lived restaurant on Elk (Main) St (Bistro something), after he got fired from the resort’s Italian fine dining place in the hotel.
If you want to try a “Sour Slaw” recipe (really a sweet and sour/vinegar slaw), with no gloppy mayo in it, try the link at the bottom.
The guy at the blog/website has an obsession with cloning the sour slaw the recipe from an old fashioned cafeteria in Dallas that I (and he) used to eat at as a child. He has come very close, and may have even improved it. It’s the best sour slaw I’ve ever eaten but I may biased by nostalgia. He also has various other slaw recipes, which come in handy for using cabbage and carrots (staples of “no cooler needed”!).
I made this sour slaw on a Grand Canyon trip (vs. the jar of white mystery “slaw” sauce), and it was the only veggie dish the whole trip to get entirely consumed. It’s very refreshing, and goes especially well with fatty/heavy meals. Not much food value to it, but it adds some needed roughage, and satisfies the salad craving that people get on long trips.
The prep has some time delays, but it could likely be started at breakfast (salting the cabbage), sauced at lunch, and ready for dinner (how I did it, I think). Or, started at lunch (if you do lunch on the river, I don’t anymore), then dressed 1st thing at camp.
https://burntmyfingers.com/2017/10/31/recipe-best-sour-slaw/
(he’s always tinkering with it, but I think this is the latest version)
I found your site/book while researching for upcoming summer river trips, and will be ordering it soon. I need more ideas for using canned chicken than my go-to of adding sweet relish, mayo packets, and hot sauce to make “chicken salad” (in a tortilla, usually).