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What is Japanese Chicken Salad?
Japanese chicken salad is a simple dish made with chicken and vegetables, with some Japanese elements added. However, it’s important to note that “Japanese Chicken Salad” isn’t a traditional Japanese dish. While plenty of chicken dishes are served with salad in Japan, the term “chicken salad” isn’t commonly used there.
To make a chicken salad with Japanese flavors, you’ll need to cook the chicken using traditional Japanese methods and add a dressing that’s commonly used in Japan known as “wafu dressing” (和風ドレシング).
Today, I’ll be showing you how to make a Japanese-style chicken salad using a specific ingredient known as “salad chicken.” It’s a nutritious and easy-to-make meal that’s perfect for any occasion.
How I Developed This Recipe
When I set out to create this recipe, my vision was clear: to craft the Japanese-style chicken salad, one that would immediately come to mind whenever someone craved this specific dish. I wanted to create a salad that would be the go-to.
Central to this vision was the dressing – my favorite homemade concoction that perfectly balances the flavors. It’s a dressing that brings out the best in the salad, enhancing without overpowering. Equally important is the chicken. I opted for homemade salad chicken, ensuring it’s packed with flavor, tender, and perfectly complements the rest of the salad.
I’m excited for you to try it and experience the harmony of flavors and textures that make this Japanese-style chicken salad stand out!
Ingredients & Substitution Ideas
Salad Chicken Ingredients:
- Chicken breast – If it’s a particularly large piece, you might need to cut it in half. (Each piece should be no more than 250g.)
- Salt – for sprinkling and adding to the “marinade”
- Cornstarch – to coat the chicken and improve the texture. Corn starch helps the meat retain its moisture and become extra soft.
- Chinese chicken stock powder – improves flavor and adds umami. (I use Youki’s Garasupu)
- Sake – makes the chicken more tender and softens odors. If you can’t get sake, use dry white wine or sherry instead.
- Mirin – for sweetness and umami.
- Sugar – additional sweetness.
Dressing Ingredients:
- Soy sauce – Japanese koikuchi (dark) soy sauce works best.
- Mirin – adds sweetness and umami. The alcohol content is cooked away by boiling the dressing in a saucepan for 1-2 minutes.
- Sugar – for sweetness and slightly thickens the sauce.
- Sesame seeds – for a nutty flavour and nice presentation.
- Toasted sesame oil – adds a nutty flavour and helps the dressing coat the salad more evenly.
- Olive oil – adds richness and helps the dressing coat the salad more evenly.
- Garlic paste – a small amount for flavor!
- Lemon juice – helps create a balanced flavor.
- White pepper – compliments the chicken.
- Chicken juices – the leftover cooking juices are added to the dressing at the end. This adds depth of flavor and avoids waste!
Salad Ingredients:
There’s no real rule for what vegetables to use with salad chicken, and it’s easy to customize. I personally use:
- Broccoli – steamed in the microwave for a short time so it’s still quite crunchy (instructions on how to do this in the recipe).
- Boiled eggs – cooked to your preference. I cooked mine for 7-8 minutes to achieve a slightly soft yolk.
- Mini tomatoes – large tomatoes also work just fine!
- Mixed leaves – lettuce, radicchio, baby spinach etc.
Feel free to switch up or omit ingredients to suit your tastes. Other great options are ingredients like cucumber, avocado, cabbage etc.
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Jump to Full Recipe MeasurementsVisual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make Japanese-style Chicken Salad at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
1. Salad Chicken
Start by drying the chicken with kitchen paper.
Use a fork to pierce both sides thoroughly. Not only does this tenderize the meat, but it also helps it absorb more flavour from the marinade.
Next, sprinkle with salt and rub the surface with a thin layer of cornstarch on both sides.
Take a microwavable bowl and add the sake, Chinese chicken stock powder, sugar, mirin and salt. Mix well.
Place the chicken breast in the bowl and place plastic wrap loosely over the top. Microwave for 2 mins at 600W.
Carefully peel back the plastic wrap and turn the chicken breast over. Cover tightly and microwave for another 2 minutes at 600W.
Once microwaved, the final and most important step is to leave the chicken in the microwave for 10 minutes without opening the door.
During these 10 minutes, the chicken will continue to cook in the steam and residual heat. If you take it out too early, there’s a good chance the chicken won’t be cooked. In the meantime, you can prepare the dressing and vegetables.
For perfectly cooked chicken breast, it should reach an internal temperature of 73ºC (165ºF). But as it continues to cook in the steam, it may be difficult to get an accurate temperature reading once it’s done. When serving, cut the chicken into slices and ensure there are no pink spots. Undercooked parts can be microwaved in 30-second increments.
Microwave cooking times may vary. For a 250g breast, microwave for 4 minutes at 600W with 10 minutes of steaming. If using larger breasts, cut them in half and cook them longer. Chicken tenderloins need 3 minutes, turning halfway.
If the chicken is dry, you microwaved it for too long. Note the weight and time for next time.
Jump to Full Recipe Measurements2. Wafu Dressing
Add the soy sauce, mirin, and sugar to a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
Let it boil for about 30-40 seconds to burn off the alcohol in the mirin and dissolve the sugar, then remove it from the heat.
Take a jug and add the sesame seeds, sesame oil, olive oil, garlic paste, lemon juice, and white pepper.
Swirl the pan around to help cool it slightly, and then pour the soy sauce, mirin, and sugar mixture into the jug.
When the chicken has finished the 10 minutes of steaming time, transfer it to a chopping board and pour the juices left in the bottom of the bowl into the dressing.
Mix thoroughly and store in the fridge until serving time.
Jump to Full Recipe Measurements3. Assemble the salad
If you are using broccoli, wash it and cut it into florets. Place them in a microwavable bowl with 1 tbsp of water and cover. Microwave for 3 minutes at 600W.
Be careful of the steam when uncovering.
Cut the chicken into slices. This is not only for presentation and easy eating but also a good opportunity to ensure it’s fully cooked in the middle.
Arrange your choice of vegetables into serving bowls and place the chicken on top. I also placed soft-boiled eggs around the edge.
Mix the dressing again before drizzling it over the chicken and vegetables.
Enjoy on its own or as a side!
Jump to Full Recipe MeasurementsTips & Tricks
- Remove the skin – chicken skin becomes rubbery when microwaved. I usually fry it in a frying pan and enjoy it as a snack!
- Remove tendons – to make sure every slice of chicken is melt in the mouth soft!
- Cut larger chicken breasts in half – if it weighs over 250g then cut in half to ensure it cooks all the way through and increase the cooking time by 30 seconds on each side.
- Pierce the chicken thoroughly all over – to ensure the marinade can be absorbed. This also allows the steam to reach the thicker parts of the chicken which helps it cook more evenly.
- Use sake in the marinade – this helps tenderise meat as well as neutralise any odors, that’s why it’s commonly used in Japanese marinades!
- Turn the chicken half way through – I cook for 4 minutes in total (600W), turning after 2 minutes. I know the microwaving time seems short, but the steaming time is more important. Microwaving the chicken for too long can cause it to dry out.
- Don’t open the microwave door – the chicken will continue to cook in the steam. If there are any holes in the plastic wrap and you open the door, all the steam will escape and the chicken will stop cooking.
Want more inspiration? Explore my Udon Roundup Post for a carefully selected collection of tasty udon recipe ideas to spark your next meal!
How to Store
Once cooked, you can store leftover salad chicken in the fridge for 3-4 days or up to 1 month in the freezer. To defrost, thaw overnight in the fridge. Stored chicken should be wrapped thoroughly with plastic wrap and stored in an airtight container or ziplock bag.
The dressing can be kept for 5 days in the fridge so feel free to make it in advance!
If making this dish in advance, store all the prepared ingredients separately and assemble right before eating.
FAQ
“Salad Chicken (サラダチキン)” is a Japanese chicken breast dish boiled or steamed with unique seasonings. Chicken breast is not popular in Japan due to its dryness, but seasoning and cooking it well can make it succulent. Salad chicken is a high-protein, low-calorie dish that comes in various flavors and can be found in any Japanese store. It’s great for quick meals or snacks and can be easily prepared at home using a microwave.
The dressing is the second crucial component of this particular recipe. Japanese-style dressings are commonly referred to as “wafu” (和風) and usually include common condiments found in everyday Japanese cuisine like soy sauce, mirin, and miso paste. Fragrant ingredients such as garlic or ginger are often added to enhance the flavor. Unlike other dressings, Japanese dressings usually don’t contain herbs.
I hope you enjoy this Japanese Chicken Salad recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!
More Japanese Salad Recipes
- Japanese Potato Salad (Izakaya Style)
- Wakame Salad (Japanese Seaweed Salad)
- Japanese Style Avocado Egg Salad with Wasabi Mayo
- Sashimi Salad (with Homemade Japanese Wafu Dressing)
Want more inspiration? Explore my Japanese Salad Roundup Post for a carefully selected collection of tasty recipe ideas to spark your next meal!
Japanese Chicken Salad (with Homemade Dressing)
Ingredients
Salad Chicken
Homemade Wafu Dressing
Suggested Salad Ingredients
- 2 boiled egg
- 200 g broccoli steamed, bitesize florets
- 150 g mixed leaf lettuce
- 100 g mini tomatoes
Instructions
- Dry the surface of 250 g chicken breast with a paper towel.
- Stab with a fork all over on both sides.
- Sprinkle both sides with 2 pinches salt and 1 tsp cornstarch.
- Take a microwavable bowl and add ½ tbsp sake, 1 tsp Chinese-style chicken bouillon powder, ¼ tsp sugar, 1 tsp mirin and ½ tsp salt. Mix well.
- Add the chicken breast to the bowl and place cling film loosely over the top. Microwave for 2 mins on 600W.
- Flip the chicken over (be careful of the steam), place the cling film tightly back on and heat for another 2 mins 600w. Leave the bowl in the microwave and allow the chicken to rest in the steam for 10 minutes. It will continue to cook in the residual heat.
- To make the dressing, add 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp mirin and 1 tsp sugar together in a small saucepan. Heat up and allow to boil for 30 seconds, then remove from the heat.
- Take a jug and add ½ tbsp toasted sesame seeds, ½ tbsp sesame oil, ½ tbsp olive oil, ½ tsp garlic paste, ½ tsp lemon juice and 1 pinch white pepper powder. Pour the contents of the sauce pan into the jug and mix.
- Remove the chicken from the microwave, transfer it to a chopping board and leave to cool for a few minutes. Pour the chicken juices from the bowl into the dressing and mix.
- Once the chicken is cool to the touch, cut into slices.
- Arrange your salad vegetables in a large bowl and place the chicken on top.
- Drizzle with sauce just before serving.
- Enjoy!
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