I always thought that, if I had a personal chef named Wolfgang Puck (a girl can dream), I would ask for his Chinois chicken salad every day for lunch. After all, this was the salad that introduced us to what we now erroneously refer to as Chinese chicken salad. Erroneously because there really is no such thing as a Chinese chicken salad. There are, on the other hand many variations of Asian flavor inspired dressings and ingredients that are used to create beautiful salads.

So, getting back to Wolfgang, I recently came across the coveted recipe for his famous salad which was originally created for the Santa Monica based Asian-French fusion restaurant, Chinois, back in the 80’s. Needless to say, I couldn’t wait to make it. However, looking at the list of ingredients for the dressing, I knew immediately that it may be a bit too spicy for my taste. No offense to Wolfgang, I’m just not someone who does spicy. However, I was determined to try it and, although it was predictably delicious, it was also predictably too spicy for me. At that point, my taste buds were screaming at me for some sort of soy-peanutty-sesame dressing over crisp colorful vegetables and juicy flavorful chicken with lots of crunchy nuts.

Unfortunately, I had used up some of the ingredients that I needed to re-create a slightly less spicy version of the Chinois salad, which I will no doubt attempt again in the near future. So, I whipped up something else and, low and behold, I immediately had a family favorite on my hands.

I happen to love salads and would probably be happy eating them every day for lunch and dinner. Gary, on the other hand is entirely different. When I place a salad in front of him, I usually get a smirk followed by “what is this green stuff”?

Chinese food is his favorite and that is what he would prefer to eat most days. So, combining the two so that both of us would be happy at mealtime almost guaranteed success.

I know what you’re thinking, there are tons of recipes out there for Asian flavor inspired salads and the last thing anyone needs is another one. I don’t disagree with you. Nonetheless, I always find myself searching for new recipes that won’t disappoint time after time.

The beautiful thing about this salad is that the chicken and the dressing can be made way in advance and stored in your fridge for days. In fact, the chicken actually tastes better after having been marinated for a bit. Then, when you want a salad, it literally takes minutes to throw together which makes it perfect for a light weeknight dinner or a quick, delicious, nutrient packed lunch.

The Dishy Details

I’ll start with the chicken and, yes, you can absolutely use a store bought rotisserie chicken or pull out any leftovers that you might have from a prior chicken dinner. However, if you you have a few minutes, I encourage you to try this marinade. All you have to do is throw a few ingredients in a bowl, stir them up, throw the chicken into that same bowl and let it sit in the fridge for a bit. I would recommend letting the chicken marinade for at least an hour but the longer it sits, the more of the marinade it absorbs which makes for a more flavorful outcome.

Once done, just throw the chicken in the oven or on the grill until it’s perfectly cooked. This is something that you can totally make in advance and keep in your fridge for days.

Next, the dressing. Here also, a few simple ingredients (some of which are the same ones that I used for the marinade) are all that’s needed. Peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, sesame oil. Are you hungry yet?

This dressing is incredibly versatile and can be totally customized to your taste. I realized that I was out of rice wine vinegar when I went to make it so I substituted apple cider vinegar instead and the flavor was just as good. If you miss the sweetness that rice wine vinegar provides, just add a tiny pinch of sugar. Again, this is something that can be made days in advance and kept fresh in your fridge. In fact, the dressing actually tastes better after hanging out in the fridge for a bit.

Now for the vegetables, crispy purple cabbage, carrots, edamame, avocado, scallions and oranges are a beautiful combination. But here, again, you can feel free to add whatever you have in your fridge or crave. I found some beautiful blood oranges which I added. You can also use regular oranges or fresh tangerines instead without sacrificing any of the flavor.

Cucumbers would be awesome as well as a combination of different types of cabbage and corn. Just throw in whatever you like. I also added some lightly toasted, unsalted cashews for extra crunch and protein but you can use whatever nuts you’d like or leave them out completely. And, of course, for Gary, I added a bunch of store bought wonton strips which, I have to admit, I enjoyed as well.

Not exactly the Chinois chicken salad that I had set out to make but definitely as delicious and pretty as if it were prepared for by a personal chef.

I hope that you decide to give this Personal Chef Chicken Salad recipe a whirl. If you do, please let me know what you think or tag me on Instagram. I always love to hear from everyone and to see photos of any recipes that you make. And, above all, thanks so much for stopping by.