MSG Free Asian-Style Chicken Salad with Coconut Ginger Dressing

Total time1 hr

Prep time25 min

Cook time20 min

4.7

(27)

MSG Free Asian-Style Chicken Salad with Coconut Ginger Dressing

This vibrant, crunchy salad is everything you want in a warm-weather meal — colorful, fresh, and packed with bold flavor from ingredients you can actually trust. The dressing is where the magic happens: coconut aminos stand in for soy sauce, delivering that savory, slightly sweet depth without any of the additives that make conventional Asian-inspired dressings a problem. Fresh ginger, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, and a pinch of turmeric round it out into something genuinely crave-worthy. The chicken is gently poached with ginger slices, keeping it tender and juicy before it gets shredded and tossed through a mountain of cabbage, carrots, cucumber, and fresh herbs. Cilantro and mint bring a brightness that makes every bite feel light and alive. It's the kind of dish that looks impressive at a dinner table but comes together with straightforward steps and a short ingredient list — no flavor packets, no bottled shortcuts, no guesswork about what's hiding in the sauce.

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the chicken

1 ½ lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp salt
3 slices fresh ginger (each about ¼ inch thick)

For the salad

3 cups green cabbage, thinly shredded
1 cup red cabbage, thinly shredded
2 medium carrots, julienned or coarsely grated
1 english cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
3 scallions (green tops only), thinly sliced
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
¼ cup fresh mint leaves, torn

For the dressing

3 tbsp coconut aminos
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp honey
½ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp salt

For serving

1 tbsp toasted coconut flakes (optional)
lime wedges (optional)

Instructions

1
Place the chicken breasts in a large pot and cover with cold water by about 2 inches. Add the salt and ginger slices. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 15–18 minutes, until the chicken reaches 165°F (74°C) on an instant-read thermometer at the thickest part.
2
Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it rest for 10–15 minutes, until cool enough to handle. Discard the poaching liquid and ginger slices. Shred the chicken into thin strips using two forks or your fingers.

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