This one is for those busy nights when you want something light, but you need it to be ready fast, and you really don’t want to work hard for it. If you find you like this recipe, I recommend doubling the dressing and keeping it on hand so that you don’t have to repeat that step as often. I used to make this frequently during college and was content with an easy salad recipe that has so many shelf-stable ingredients that are usable in other recipes.
Confession: I have never eaten the salad that this recipe copies. My husband showed me a recipe that my mother-in-law uses, and I have been going off of that. While I don’t know what the actual salad from Applebees is like, I’ve got a good guess! I think the reason it’s so delicious is the balance of sweet, savory, and crunchy. If you add the mandarin oranges, they provide a nice hint of acid to cut through what otherwise is a somewhat rich-feeling salad.
I couldn’t find the original author of the recipe that I use. I got it from my mother-in-law, and it looks like an old Word document. Thanks to whoever made the original, you saved my butt! I, of course, have tweaked it and made it my own, but my busy, lazy butt is really grateful for the original recipe.
Copycat Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad
Ingredients
The Dressing
- ½ cup honey *if you don't want it as sweet, feel free to make it a bit less than ½ cup
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
The Salad Mixture
- 4 – 6 chicken strips Frozen or from deli, or you can just use leftover grilled chicken
- 1 head romaine lettuce large, or you can also just do a bag of romaine salad
- 1 bag coleslaw
Optional Toppings
- sliced almonds
- chow mein noodles
- canned mandarin oranges
Instructions
Prep Work
- Bake the chicken according to the package instructions if using frozen chicken strips.
- In a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup holding at least two cups, add all the dressing ingredients and whisk until well blended. Refrigerate until time to serve.
- Chop the head of romaine and add it to a LARGE bowl. Add the bag of coleslaw and toss to combine.
Serve with Toppings
- Set out toppings while you wait for the chicken to bake. Once the chicken is ready, cut it into bite-sized chunks and serve the salad in bowls with salad mixture , sliced chicken, desired toppings, and dressing.
Notes
- You can also use chicken nuggets, but the texture is not as good.
- I usually cut the chicken into chunks for my own personal bowl using kitchen scissors.
- I would recommend using about 1 chicken strip per person eating, or more if you guys are really hungry to get a bit more protein!
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