Japanese Chicken Salad (with homemade dressing)

This Japanese chicken salad is made with a perfectly tender and juicy chicken breast served over fresh salad vegetables, boiled eggs and drizzled with my special homemade Japanese dressing. It’s extremely easy to make a packed with nutrients!

What is Japanese Chicken Salad?

Japanese chicken salad is exactly what is says on the tin, a simple salad made with chicken and vegetables with some Japanese element added. However, to tell you the truth, “Japanese Chicken Salad” is technically not a real dish. Sure, there are tonnes of chicken dishes that we eat with salad, but the term “chicken salad” is not really used in Japan.

To make the salad “Japanese”, we need to cook the chicken using Japanese methods and add a Japanese salad dressing we call “wafu dressing” (和風ドレシング). Today I will be showing you how to make a Japanese style chicken salad specifically with an ingredient we call “salad chicken”. It’s simple, nutritious and easy to make too!

What is “Salad Chicken”?

The first element of my Japanese Chicken Salad recipe is something we call “Salad Chicken” (サラダチキン). Salad chicken is the Japanese term for skinless chicken breast that has been boiled or steamed with distinctive seasonings.

Chicken breast is actually the cheapest and least popular part of the chicken Japan. This is because other fattier cuts like thigh are of course, juicier and tastier whereas chicken breast has a reputation of being dry or lacking in flavour. However, by steaming or boiling, chicken breast can become tender and succulent, and seasoning well before cooking ensures that the flavour is absorbed right to the core.

Salad chicken is a low calorie, high protein dish and can be used in a variety of recipes. You can find it in any Japanese convenience store or supermarket and it comes in a variety of flavours.

Actually, in recent years, Japanese people have been becoming more health conscious and foods that are rich in protein and low in fat have been growing in popularity. One of the dishes that has benefited from this boom is salad chicken, which is why you can now find it in so many flavours!

Salad chicken is great for a quick meal or can even be eaten as a snack. It’s also extremely easy to make at home too, all you need is a microwave!

Japanese style “Wafu” Dressing

The second important element of this recipe is the dressing. Japanese style dressings are generally known as “wafu” (和風) and usually contain typical condiments used in every day Japanese cooking such as soy sauce, mirin, miso paste etc. It’s also common to add fragrant ingredients such as garlic or ginger to give them more punch. Japanese dressings don’t tend to contain herbs so much.

Wafu dressing is the key to giving this salad some Japanese flair!

Next let’s look at the ingredients.

Japanese Chicken Salad Ingredients

This recipe is made up of three parts: the chicken, the wafu dressing and the salad itself. Here I will explain what ingredients you will need for each element.

Salad Chicken

To achieve flavourful and succulent chicken breast, I make a kind of marinade to cook it in. For this, I use the following ingredients:

• Chicken breast – make sure it’s skinless and remove any tendons. If its 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”
• Corn starch – 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 flavour 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.

Wafu Dressing

My wafu dressing combines Japanese flavours with some Western ingredients. For this recipe I use the following 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 flavour!
• Lemon juice – helps create a balanced flavour.
• White pepper – compliments the chicken.
• Chicken juices – the leftover cooking juices are added to the dressing at the end. This adds depth of flavour 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.

How to Make Japanese Chicken Salad

Here are my step by step instructions on how to make Japanese Chicken Salad and Wafu Dressing from scratch! For the ingredient quantities, see the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Salad Chicken

Wafu Dressing

Assemble the salad

Tips and tricks

As chicken breast has a reputation for being dry, one of the most important elements of salad chicken is maintaining the moisture. Here are a few tips and tricks I use to ensure the chicken breast stays moist and tender!

How do I know if the chicken is cooked through?

Chicken breast is fully cooked when an instant-read thermometer reads 73ºC or 165ºF in the thickest part. However since the chicken is left to finish cooking slowly in the steam, it might be difficult to get an accurate temperature once its done.

This recipe is served with the chicken cut into slices, and it should have no pink spots when it’s cut. If you notice any parts are undercooked, return it to the microwave and cook in 30-second increments until fully cooked.

Additionally, microwave times vary depending on wattage and the exact cooking time depends on the size of the chicken breast. I find that giving each 250g chicken breast 4 minutes at 600W with 10 minutes of steaming time creates a soft and juicy result. If using a larger chicken breast, cut it in half, place them in the bowl together and increase the cooking time by 1-2 minutes (30 seconds – 1 minute on each side). If using chicken tenderloins (approx 100g each), reduce to 3 minutes per tenderloin and remember to turn halfway through.

If you find the chicken is dry, that probably means you microwaved it too long. Make a note of the weight and how long you microwaved it for, you can use it to adjust your cooking times next time.

Storing

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.

Serving Suggestions

Japanese salad chicken is versatile and goes with many different dishes, not only salad! Here are a few of my favorite ways to enjoy salad chicken.

Shio Ramen (Ramen noodle soup with salt-based broth)

Typically, ramen dishes are topped with a melt-in-mouth piece of tender braised pork called “chashu“. Chashu can be difficult and time-consuming to make, so salad chicken is a great alternative! I especially recommend serving it on this shio ramen with a salt-based broth, it really lets the chicken shine through!

Somen Noodle Soup

Looking for a refreshing alternative to ramen? Well, look no further than this delicious somen noodle soup served in a light, chilled broth flavored with citrus. Salad chicken is a perfect topping for this zingy summer dish!

Hiyashi Chuka (Ramen Noodle Salad)

Not sure if you want noodles or salad? Enjoy the best of both worlds with this delicious Hiyashi Chuka made with ramen noodles topped with strips of crunchy vegetables and egg crepe. It’s often made with ham or imitation crab, but salad chicken cut into thin strips makes a perfect substitution!

Tried this recipe? I would really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let us know what you thought with a review and rating in the comments below. Thank you so much!