This Asian Grilled Chicken Salad features a colorful mix of crisp veggies and marinated chicken grilled to perfection. It’s tossed in a light and refreshing homemade dressing, creating the perfect weeknight dinner.

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Asian Chicken Salad Recipe

• Chicken marinated and grilled to perfection
• Colorful mix of crisp veggies and Napa cabbage
• Tossed in an easy homemade dressing
• Loaded with classic Asian flavors

Asian cuisine is something many people miss when on a Keto or low-carb diet. That’s because a lot of marinades and dressings are loaded with sugar and preservatives. This hearty Asian salad is the perfect answer for those cravings by using all healthy and sugar free ingredients.

This Keto salad recipe starts out with perfectly grilled marinated chicken breasts and is topped with the most savory Asian salad dressing that breathes new life into your average salad.

The combination of red and Napa cabbage provides this salad with an incredible texture and that crunch factor that everyone loves in a fresh, crispy salad.

🛒 Ingredients for Grilled Asian Chicken Salad

• Chicken breasts
• Napa cabbage
• Red cabbage
• Bell pepper
• Scallions
• Shredded carrots
• Sliced almonds
• Cilantro
• Liquid aminos
• Light olive oil
• Avocado Oil
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Toasted sesame oil
• Lime
• Rice wine vinegar
• Sugar-free apricot jam
• Monk fruit/allulose
• Optional: Sesame seeds

*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.

🥣 Recommended Tools

• Mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Grill (or grill pan)
• Mini chopper or bullet blender

🔪 How to Make Asian Chicken Salad

To Grill the Asian Marinated Chicken

Add the “for the chicken” ingredients to a small mixing bowl.

Whisk until well combined.

Add the chicken to a food storage bag and pour the marinade over the top. 

Seal up the bag and refrigerate for 24 hours or at least overnight (the longer, the better).

Remove the chicken from the bag and allow it to sit at room temperature for several minutes while you heat up your grill. The chicken should have soaked up most of the marinade, which you can discard.

Grill the chicken for about 7-10 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness.  Once they reach at least 165°F, they are done. 

Take them off the grill and allow them to rest for 10 minutes before slicing them, while you prepare the salad.

To Make the Asian Dressing

Add all of the dressing ingredients to the bowl of a mini chopper or bullet blender.

Blend until well combined and emulsified.  Taste the dressing to see if you’d like to add more sweetener, then add a teaspoon at a time, if needed.  Three teaspoons was just the right amount for me.

Set the dressing aside while you make the salad.

To Assemble the Asian Salad

Add the napa cabbage to a large mixing bowl.

Add in the shredded red cabbage, sliced bell pepper, carrots, toasted slivered almonds and scallions over the top.

Toss to combine, then add the sliced chicken over the top and drizzle with the dressing.  Garnish with a sprinkling of sesame seeds, and serve.

💡 Tips for Perfectly Grilled Chicken

• Always start off with clean grates on your grill. Because chicken breasts are so lean, they will stick to dirty grates. After you’ve cleaned the grates, brush them with a little oil to help create a nonstick surface.

• When it comes to chicken breasts, bigger is not always best. Large chicken breasts, over 10-12 ounces, take a long time to cook and can be difficult to cook evenly.

• If you have large chicken breasts or if the chicken breasts are uneven in thickness, pound down the thicker side to the thickness of the thinner side. Or you can opt to butterfly the breasts, if you prefer. Both will ensure even cooking.

• Because boneless, skinless chicken breasts are so lean, they should be grilled quickly over high heat to retain as much moisture as possible.

• Cook chicken breasts for 5-7 minutes on each side. Always use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. You want your chicken to cook until it reaches 165F, this usually takes between 10 and 15 minutes.

• Allow the chicken to sit for about 10 minutes before slicing for this Asian Keto Salad. This will allow the juices to redistribute within the meat.

☑️ Storage Instructions

For best results, it’s best to store the components of this salad separately. If you’ve already added the dressing, you’ll want to serve it immediately because it will cause the lettuce to wilt.

🔄 Substitutions and Additions

• Chicken: You can substitute chicken breasts for chicken thighs if you prefer.

• Napa cabbage: Feel free to replace the napa cabbage with regular green cabbage or a mix of your favorite leafy greens.

• Red cabbage: If you don’t have red cabbage, you can omit it or substitute it with purple.

• Bell pepper: You can use any color of bell pepper you like, or use a mix.

• Sugar-free apricot jam: You can swap the apricot jam for another sugar-free fruit preserve or jam of your choice.

• Cucumber slices: Add cucumber slices for a refreshing pop of flavor and texture.

• Sweetener: You can use any sugar alternatives, like allulose or Swerve confectioners, if that’s what you have on hand.

Other Uses for Sugar-Free Apricot Jam

You’ll notice that this recipe uses a sugar-free apricot jam from Good Good. If you’re on the fence about giving it a try, let me encourage you to do so.

It’s by far the best sugar free jam I’ve tasted. I like to use it as a Keto substitute for honey to thicken and add sweetness to homemade salad dressings.

And if you’re wondering what you should do with the remaining jam in the jar, here are some awesome ideas that will put it to delicious use:

• Using apricot jam in a salad dressing, like in this recipe, is so tasty. If you like the sweet and tangy flavor, you may also enjoy this Sugar Free Apricot Vinaigrette recipe. It is especially good on this Grilled Shrimp Salad.

• The sweetness in the jam is fabulous with bacon. Yep, bacon! Give it a try with these Grilled Bacon Wrapped Asparagus bundles. They have an apricot glaze that sends them right over the top! Or use this Easy Hot Bacon Dressing over a spinach salad or with Brussels Sprouts.

• I absolutely love a summertime berry medley. You can take some of this jam and thin it out with a little water and a simple syrup made with Swerve or Allulose then drizzle it over a bowl of berries. It makes a super easy dessert that everyone will love.

• Last but not least, in its simplest form, sugar-free apricot served with homemade Keto Biscuits is so good, you won’t even miss traditional jam.

Can I Make this Asian Salad in Advance?

There’re a couple ways to meal prep this salad so that you can have it ready for you in advance.

Grill the chicken, pre-chop the cabbage, and make the dressing, store all in an air-tight container in the fridge. Then, just reheat the chicken, then slice and lay it over the cabbage when you’re ready to serve it.

Another great way is to turn this recipe into a mason jar salad. In a large mason jar, place the diced grilled chicken on the bottom and layer the other ingredients on top. You can add the Asian dressing on the bottom under the chicken, but it’s best to place it in a separate airtight container and drizzle on top before eating.

What If I Don’t Have a Grill?

You can use a stovetop grill pan, bake the chicken in the oven, or even use a broiler to cook the chicken if you don’t have an outdoor grill.

How Many Carbs Are in Napa Cabbage?

Napa cabbage is a ruffled-edged cabbage that’s often seen in Asian stir fry recipes because it holds up relatively well to heat. For a one cup serving of Napa cabbage, there are approximately 2 grams of carbs, making it an excellent choice for keto and low carb diets.

Will This Recipe Work with Pre-shredded Cabbage Mix?

Yes, you can use pre-shredded cabbage to save time. Just make sure it’s fresh and crisp.

How Can I Thin the Dressing?

To thin out the dressing, you can add a little water or extra rice wine vinegar, one tablespoon at a time, until it’s the consistency you like.

🍽️ More Keto Salad Recipes

• Caprese Salad with Balsamic Reduction
• Grilled Shrimp Salad with Apricot Vinaigrette
• Keto ” Big Mac” Cheeseburger Salad
• Asian Grilled Chicken Salad
• Buffalo Chicken Salad
• Keto Taco Salad
• Classic Cobb with Ranch Dressing

*Originally published on May 21, 2020, updated on February 27, 2024 with improvements to the recipe, new photos, new recipe information and helpful tips.