COOKING: California Chicken Cafe Chinese Chicken Salad copycat recipe

Feb 19

Written By Sara

First of all, look at that title. It looks super click-baity! But I feel like it’s important that you know what you’re getting right away.

A (pretty close) copycat recipe for the Chinese Chicken Salad recipe from California Chicken Cafe.

A little backstory:

I used to live in Los Angeles and one of the places I miss so much is California Chicken Cafe. CCC is one of those restaurants where, if you want something filling and (pretty) healthy, you know you will get it there. I always got the Chinese Chicken Salad — it remains, to this day, my favorite salad.

I was missing it the other day and went looking for a copycat recipe on Pinterest, I found one that came pretty close, but it wasn’t quite right. But it was a great jumping off point. I found this other recipe on Pinterest and combined the two and came up with something pretty darn close. Even if you’re not familiar with CCC, if you like Chinese Chicken Salad, this is a pretty solid version of it.

Chinese Chicken Salad copycat recipe

from California Chicken Cafe

Recipe adapted from Foodie Crush and Foolish Pursuits

This recipe makes 2 regular servings or 1 giant, restaurant-style serving.

DRESSING

1 1/2 tablespoons neutral oil (grapeseed, canola, vegetable, olive)
6 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

Put all ingredients into a jar with a tight lid and shake vigorously to combine OR put in a small bowl and whisk until combined

SALAD

2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 cooked chicken breast, shredded
1/2 cup chow mein noodles
1/2 canned mandarine orange segments, drained
1 green onion, diced
1/2 cup toasted almonds, chopped
2 cups cooked rotini pasta, cooled

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and toss gently.

Add dressing — start with half and taste, then add more if you want!

This is chicken thigh, which the restaurant version doesn’t use, but if you only have thighs, you can easily use them. Just make sure you cut them into small-ish (3/4” pieces or so) because the bigger pieces can be a little precarious to chew.