Chinese Chicken Salad Like Grandma Used to Make

If you think of Chinese Chicken Salad as something that went mainstream in the 80s because of Wolfgang Puck and his Chinois Chicken Salad, you might be missing a chapter. Madame Wu’s Garden, an LA restaurant, may have really originated it another 20 years earlier. Now closed, the lore is that that Madame Wu’s salad originated from a conversation with Cary Grant. You have to read this story by Rose Dosti in the LA Times written around the time of the Garden’s closing. In its heyday Madame Wu’s Garden catered to the same celeb clientele as Chasen’s.

My grandma’s Chinese Chicken Salad is not far off from Madame Wu’s and originates somewhere in the same time period – mid-to-late 60s. It was iceberg, later romaine lettuce, chicken, fried saifun noodles (those are so fun to watch fry up!), toasted slivered almonds, and a sesame-rice vinegar dressing. I don’t remember the Chinese five-spice if it was in there.

When I lived in LA, I loved California Chicken Cafe‘s Chinese Chicken Salad – reliably tasty and easy to pick up on the way home from work. Their version includes mandarin oranges, a touch which MUST have its origins in the 60s.

Pick up a roasted chicken at the grocery and you’ll get this on the table without turning on the oven.

Print Recipe

Chinese Chicken Salad

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

• 1 medium head romaine lettuce
• 1/2 medium cucumber, seeded and cut into 1/2 in. half moons
• 1 medium carrot, sliced thinly on a mandolin or grated
• 2-3 green onions, green and white parts, cut on the bias
• 2 chicken breasts w/ ribs attached, roasted and shredded
• 1/2 lb. penne, cooked according to package directions in salted water
• 1/4 c. toasted slivered almonds
• 1/2 of an 11 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
• Roasted sesame seeds aka goma-ae to garnish
• Dressing
• 3 T. seasoned rice wine vinegar
• 1 T. canola (or vegetable) oil
• 2 t. sesame oil
• 1 small garlic clove, smashed
• 1/8 t. dry yellow mustard
• salt & pepper

Instructions

1

Rinse the romaine and chop it into 1 in. pieces. Spin dry in a salad spinner.

2

Toss together lettuce, cucumber, carrot, green onions, shredded chicken and cooked penne in a large bowl.

3

Whisk together (or shake up in a jar) dressing ingredients.

4

Add dressing and toss to coat evenly.

5

Sprinkle with sesame seeds and toasted almonds.

6

If you omit the pasta, you might not need the full amount of dressing.

7

Serve chilled.

Notes

Photo updated in 2018.

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