Applebee’s Grilled Oriental Chicken Salad

Sweet and savory, the copycat Grilled Oriental Chicken Salad from Applebees is made with grilled chicken, crisp Romain lettuce, fresh carrots, crunchy noodles, and served with oriental salad dressing. It’s hard to beat this lighter version of this well-known salad.

Two bowls of salad with grilled chicken and oriental dressing


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Are you looking for the best grilled chicken salad? It’s hard to beat Applebees, for their much-loved Oriental chicken salad. Made fresh and piled high full of fresh ingredients and tender grilled chicken, this salad is filling and has fewer calories than the one with fried chicken tenders.

Grilled Chicken Oriental Salad Ingredients

It’s really easy to make a delicious light Asian salad at home. You are going to need a few ingredients to prepare this salad at home:

  • Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • Olive oil
  • Salt
  • Black pepper
  • Sliced almonds
  • Romaine lettuce
  • Shredded carrots
  • Crispy rice noodles
  • Applebees Oriental Salad Dressing
ingredients for grilled chicken asian salad

How to Make Applebees Oriental Chicken Salad

Love a recipe that is easy to prepare? This recipe is oh so easy.

If you do not have any grilled chicken on hand, simply season up the chicken, and saute it in a bit of olive oil. When the chicken cools off, assemble your salad.

Grab a big bowl add lots of Romain lettuce, shredded carrots, lots of crispy rice noodles, and add your chicken. Add your salad dressing and you are ready to go!

Heck, you could use a bag or two of chopped salad if you want!

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Heat the grill to medium or heat a cast-iron skillet or grill pan over medium heat.
  2. Place the chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap and gently pound them to 3/8-inch thick.
  3. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and season them with salt and pepper.
  4. Grill for 5 to 7 minutes on each side, until cooked through.
  5. Transfer to a plate to rest for 4 to 5 minutes before slicing.
  6. Toast the almonds in a small dry skillet over medium heat. Allow them to cool to room temperature.
  7. Place lettuce in bowls.
  8. Sprinkle each with carrots, crispy rice noodles, and toasted almonds.
  9. Arrange the chicken on top.
  10. Serve with Applebee’s Oriental Salad Dressing.

Asian Salad Variations

What is one of the best things about a copycat recipe? You can customize the recipe for what you really enjoy! Here are a few ideas for this recipe:

  • Add mandarin orange slices
  • Add sliced red onions
  • Add thinly sliced green onion or scallions
  • Add more sliced almonds
  • Swap the nuts for soy nuts, cashews, walnuts, or pecans
  • Swap the chicken for shrimp
  • Use mesclun or mixed green salad mix instead of romaine

Can you make this salad ahead of time?

This salad is the perfect salad to bring for lunch! You can have one of Applebee’s lunch menu items that you make yourself!

If you are going to make this salad ahead of time. It’s a good idea not to assemble it fully. Make your chicken ahead of time, and you will want to store it separately from the Romain lettuce, almonds, and carrots. I keep the crispy noodles separate as well so they do not get soft.

When you are ready to serve top the salad with the noodles, chicken, and salad dressing.

I often bring salads to work in a lunch kit like this, so I can separate everything out.

Two bowls of homemade appbleees grilled chicken oriental salad

Love salads? Try these recipes!

More Applebee’s Copycat Recipes

Check out more of my easy salad recipes and the best casual dining restaurant copycat recipes here on CopyKat!

Let me know how much you enjoyed this recipe! Leave me a comment down below of how you customize the salad blend to make it your own!

Two bowls of homemade Applebees Grilled Chicken Oriental Salad with Dressing

Applebee’s Grilled Chicken Oriental Salad

Applebees Grilled Chicken Oriental salad is a great light salad Applebees serves.
5 from 7 votes
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Applebees Recipes, Asian Chicken Salad, Chicken Recipes, Oriental Chicken Salad
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 2
Calories: 928kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast 2 portions
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds
  • 8 cups romaine lettuce
  • 1/4 cup shredded carrots
  • 1/2 cup crispy rice noodles
  • 4 tablespoons Applebees Oriental Salad Dressing

Instructions

  • Heat the grill to medium, or heat a cast-iron skillet or grill pan over medium heat.
  • Place the chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap and gently pound them to 3/8-inch thick.
  • Brush chicken breasts with olive oil and season them with salt and pepper.
  • Grill chicken breasts for 5 to 7 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Transfer to a plate to rest for 4 to 5 minutes before slicing. 
  • Toast the almonds in a small dry skillet over medium heat. Watch them carefully—there is a fine line between toasted almonds and burnt almonds! Shake the pan gently. When you begin to smell the almonds, toast for a few seconds more, then immediately place the almonds on a paper towel. Allow them to cool for a moment or two. 
  • Assemble salads by first putting the lettuce in bowls or on plates, 3 to 4 cups per serving.
  • Sprinkle each with 2 tablespoons of carrots, 1/4 cup crispy rice noodles, and 1/4 cup toasted almonds.
  • Arrange the chicken on top.
  • Serve with Applebee’s Oriental Salad Dressing. 

Notes

Customize your salad with any of these variations:
  • Add mandarin orange slices
  • Add sliced red onions
  • Add thinly sliced green onion or scallions
  • Add more sliced almonds
  • Swap the nuts for soy nuts, cashews, walnuts, or pecans
  • Swap the chicken for shrimp
  • Use mesclun or mixed green salad mix instead of romaine

Nutrition

Calories: 928kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 60g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 974mg | Potassium: 1606mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 19115IU | Vitamin C: 11.2mg | Calcium: 183mg | Iron: 4.4mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Eileen S

    5 stars
    I love to buy broccoli slaw, (usually right next to the coleslaw. bagged mix), & serve it with Marie’s teriyaki dressing with toasted slivered almonds & crunchy noodles. Yum! It last about 3 days (if we don’t eat it the same day! Try it, you’ll love it ! Sometimes we eat it as lettuce wraps inside the romaine…. just an idea. I do LOVE your CK Applebees oriental copy though, it is delish! Thank you for this recipe!

  2. Amber

    I am in love your copykat recipes. I have tried your several recipes and all gave similar taste like restaurant. This is one of my favorite salad and I am going to make it soon.

  3. Anon

    Their dressing is made from pureed chicken fat. That’s why it’s difficult to reproduce the flavor with traditional salad dressing ingredients.

  4. Michelle

    You are missing the shredded regular and purple cabbage, and shredded carrots. I was sitting here, eating my leftovers from Applebees, and took note of this. Looking forward to making my own at home!

  5. Michelle

    You are missing the shredded regular and purple cabbage, and shredded carrots. I was sitting here, eating my leftovers from Applebees, and took note of this. Looking forward to making my own at home!

  6. Robin Crittenden

    doesn’t Applebee’s use mostly shredded cabbage in this salad. that’s why I like it so much
    I can say that the Applebee’s I went to for investigation of this recipe, this wasn’t the case, but you know, you can add anything you like to your salad to make it your own! ~Stephanie

    • Lindsay K.

      Yes, Robin. The salad mix of the Oriental salad is half romaine and half dry slaw, you can also but this bagged in the salad section of the super market. I used to work for a franchise of Applebee’s.

    • Kathy L

      The Applebee’s by me don’t use Romaine at all….It seems more like Napa Cabbage and possibly another type of cabbage(maybe bok choy) that has been shredded/juliennned with some purple cabbage, shredded carrots and almonds and crispy noodles for garnish…it is by far my favorite salad at Applebee….LOVE the dressing….

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