Asian Chicken Salad with Ramen Noodles

This tangy Asian chicken salad combines with crunchy ramen cakes and crisp veggies for a tasty, healthy lunch!

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While this is a pretty simple recipe, you'll need some time to bake the ramen cakes, marinate and cook the chicken. Once everything is ready it comes together in a snap, so if you want to make it easy, add this recipe to your weekly meal prep plans as a couple of the steps can easily be done ahead of time.

Contents:

• Ramen Noodle Chicken Salad with a Twist!
• Ingredient Notes
• Recommended Tools
• How to make this recipe
• Meal Prep Tips
• More weekday lunch recipes
• Ramen Cakes with Asian Chicken Salad

Ramen Noodle Chicken Salad with a Twist!

This popular chopped chicken salad gets a little twist with the addition of a crunchy ramen cake. Here's why I love it:

• Mandarin oranges, crisp cabbage and a tangy sesame dressing mean this salad is packed with flavor.
• Like many salad recipes, many of the components can be made ahead of time which makes this a great meal prep recipe.
• This is a true entree salad so it works for both lunch and dinner.
• You can also double or triple the recipe if you want to bring it to a potluck or serve it at a summer BBQ.
• This is also a great packable lunch - separate the salad portion from the ramen cake until you are ready to eat it.  A bento lunch box is a great way to pack it for easy transport.

Ingredient Notes

The full list of ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card below.

• Chicken breast: You want boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. You could use rotisserie chicken but then skip the marinade. This will change the taste of the salad slightly.
• Ramen noodles: Any type of packaged ramen noodles work fo this recipe. You won't need the flavor packets that come with the noodles.
• Snow peas: I recommend using fresh snow peas for this recipe.
• Edamame: I generally use frozen, pre-shelled edamame.
• Mandarin oranges: You can use canned mandarin oranges or sections of fresh, whichever you prefer.
• Cilantro + green onions: You'll want fresh in both cases as they provide the best flavor in this recipe.
• Spices: ground pepper, ground ginger
• Pantry staples: dark sesame oil, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic clove, sugar

How to make this recipe

Check out the meal prep tips below if you want to make parts of this salad in advance.

Step 1 | Marinate the chicken. Combine the chicken, sesame oil, soy sauce and pepper in a large zip-lock bag and let it marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Step 2 | Cook the ramen noodles. Cook the ramen according to package directions, leaving out any seasonings that come with the noodles. Once they are done cooking, drain the noodles. Coat two small ramekins with cooking spray and divide the noodles between them. Refrigerate them for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is done marinating.

Step 3 | Make the dressing. Add the rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, soy sauce, ground ginger and sugar to a small bowl or mason jar and mix to combine.

Step 4 | Prep the veggies. While the chicken is marinating, prep the veggies and other ingredients as needed.

Step 5 | Cook the chicken and the ramen cakes.  When the chicken is ready, remove it from the marinade and place it in a baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a meat thermometer reaches 165°F. Bake the ramen in the ramekins at the same time as the chicken.

Step 6 | Shred the chicken. Remove chicken and noodles from the oven when done. Let chicken cool slightly and shred with two forks.

Step 7 | Make the chicken salad and serve. Add chicken, snow peas, edamame and oranges to a medium mixing bowl. Add the dressing and toss until everything is coated. Place one ramen cake on a plate and top with chicken salad mixture. Garnish with chopped cilantro and green onions. Repeat with the remaining ramen cake and salad. Serve immediately.

More weekday lunch recipes

If you are looking for ideas for meal prep lunches check out these reader favorites:

• Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps. These lettuce wraps come together in less than 30 minutes and can mostly be made in advance, making them an ideal weekday lunch.
• Turkey Meatball Salad. The meatballs and dressing can be made in advance, so you can just toss this salad together when you are ready to eat.

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This post was originally published in May 2017. It was updated in May 2024 with some new information and photos. No changes were made to the original recipe.