This Oriental Coleslaw is salty, crunch, and fresh. Cabbage and shaved brussel sprouts, bell pepper, toasted almonds, and crunched up ramen noodles pair so wonderfully with a sweet oil and vinegar dressing for a tasty side dish.
Update: This post was originally published in 2021 and has been republished with new photos and significant updates to the recipe information.
Healthier Coleslaw without Mayo
Fresh salads are a must for me. They’re such an easy way to get in servings of greens and deliciously crunchy vegetables and use up what you may have left in your fridge. I also find them so rejuvenating!
This Oriental Coleslaw is full of freshness and amazing textures. While it’s different than your traditional coleslaw, it still makes for an amazing side dish at lunch or dinner. Cabbage and shaved brussels sprouts, crunchy bell pepper, toasted almonds,crisp green onions and crunched up ramen noodles pair so wonderfully with a yummy Asian dressing. It’s similar to the vibes of my fan favorite Dumpling Salad!
Feel free to add your favorite chopped up protein like chicken or steak to this slaw or enjoy alongside a piece of teriyaki salmon or grilled tofu!
And if you’re on the hunt for more simple side salads, also try this Spinach Quinoa Salad, this Arugula Couscous Salad, or this Bell Pepper Cucumber Salad that I think you’ll enjoy, too!
Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken: I have simple directions listed for grilling your chicken. If you have any meal prepped or rotisserie chicken, you can use that instead
- Ramen Noodles: I recommend using a chicken flavored package. We will use the crunchy noodles raw and it brings such savory flavor to this salad. And if you’re looking for another way to use your ramen package, try this Upgraded Ramen recipe.
- Veggies: This recipe has a cabbage and brussels sprout blend (found at Trader Joe’s) as the base and also includes green onions, jalapeño and bell pepper.
- Almonds: Highly recommend getting the toasted ones or toast almonds yourself! This brings out more of the nutty, earthy flavor.
- Dressing: Homemade with a combination of oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, sesame seeds and optionally the seasoning packet from the ramen.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Base: Use whatever slaw blend you prefer. Swap the cabbage and brussels with a broccoli slaw, napa cabbage, red cabbage, or even shredded carrots or shaved beets.
- Crunch: Instead of crunchy ramen noodles, add a cup of La Choy Chow Mein Crunchy Noodles, which have a thicker texture. Or for higher protein, add some of these crunchy roasted edamame.
- Topping: Consider adding sunflower seeds, crushed peanuts, sesame seeds, sliced basil, cilantro or finely sliced red onion for a variety of textures and so much flavor.
- Dressing: I used the premade dressing as marinade for the chicken and homemade for the salad. Feel free to use the same dressing on the slaw as well. Or reach for another store bought simple vinaigrette. I also like to add a tad of soy sauce, sesame oil or rice vinegar to my dressing sometimes to further bring out the Asian flavors.
How to Make This Recipe
1. An hour prior to grilling, place the chicken breasts in a plastic bag with asian sesame dressing. Make sure all of the chicken is coated in dressing. Refrigerate for at minimum an hour (the longer it marinates, the more flavor).
2. After 1 hour, remove chicken from the fridge and heat your grill. Grill chicken breasts until it reaches an internal temperature reaches 165°F. I use my indoor Ninja Foodi Grill for this as it’s quick and easy to use.
3. While the chicken is grilling, prep all vegetables. Use a mandolin (or really fine knife and cutting board) to slice peppers, jalapeños, and brussels sprouts. Add to a large mixing bowl.
4. Whisk all of the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl or shake in a mason jar. Optionally, add the ramen noodle seasoning packet to the dressing.
5. Crush the ramen noodles in their bag. Add to the salad with slivered almonds, and dressing. Toss so everything is well coated.
6. Slice the grilled chicken into pieces and enjoy with the salad. Best served chilled. Enjoy!
PRO TIPS
- If you aren’t using pre-shredded slaw, be sure to shred your own cabbage/brussel sprouts finely. this helps the dressing spread more evenly throughout and results in a more pleasant salad texture.
- If you tend to find cabbage and/or brussel sprouts bitter, massage your greens. This helps physically digest the fiber in the leaves and make them more digestible.
Recipe FAQs
The veggies in this salad are hearty and will hold up well (even with the dressing!) for multiple days. I do, however, recommend keeping the ramen separate so it keeps its crunch factor. Store the coleslaw mixture in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Definitely! I would suggest a vinaigrette of sorts rather than something cream or mayo based. I’ve had this Asian Sesame Dressing before from Target that I think would be AMAZING on this Oriental Slaw.
Serving suggestions
I served with chicken, but this ramen noodle coleslaw is a perfect side dish to a simply prepared protein like salmon or grilled steak, tool. It’s also a great option as an appetizer to any asian dishes like this Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry or these Asian Chicken Meatballs, too.
More Recipes You’ll Love
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating and comment in the recipe card below. Thanks for visiting!
Oriental Coleslaw
Equipment
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Mixing Bowl
- small bowl, glass beaker or mason jar
- Whisk
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 lbs chicken breast
- 1 cup Asian sesame dressing, I used Kraft
- 4 cups finely shredded cabbage
- 2 cups shaved brussels sprouts
- 1 cup mini bell peppers, sliced
- 1/2 cup green onions, sliced
- 1 package chicken flavored ramen noodles
For the dressing:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, or red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- salt + pepper, to taste
- 1 packet ramen seasoning (from the noodle package), optional
Instructions
- An hour prior to grilling, place the chicken breasts in a plastic bag with asian sesame dressing. Make sure all of the chicken is coated in dressing. Refrigerate for at minimum an hour (the longer it marinates, the more flavor).
- After 1 hour, remove chicken from the fridge and heat your grill. Grill chicken breasts until it reaches an internal temperature reaches 165°F. I use my indoor Ninja Foodi Grill for this as it’s quick and easy to use.
- While the chicken is grilling, prep all vegetables. Use a mandolin (or really fine knife and cutting board) to slice peppers, jalapeños, and brussel sprouts and add to a large mixing bowl.
- Dressing: Whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl or shake in a mason jar. Optionally, add the ramen noodle seasoning packet to the dressing.
- Toss to coat evenly with dressing. Serve immediately or refrigerate.
- Crush the ramen noodles in their bag prior to opening. Add to the salad with slivered almonds, and dressing. Toss so everything is well coated.
- Slice the grilled chicken into pieces and enjoy with the salad. Best served chilled.
Nutrition
Notes
Looking for this in MyFitnessPal?
If you’re using MyFitnessPal, search ‘A Paige Of Positivity’ and find Oriental Coleslaw calories and nutrition facts. Disclaimer: for most accurate macronutrients and caloric breakdown, it is recommended that you input each ingredient into your MyFitnessPal food diary.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved or just say hi!
Homemade dressing changes the salad game and this one couldn’t pair more perfectly with this salad. And who ever said ramen noodles can’t be a culinary masterpiece clearly never tried this.
Had this salad LAST NIGHT! It was awesome, so fresh and flavorful with such simple ingredients! A+ Paige❤️
I love this Asian salad. We served it at a large gathering and everyone enjoyed it. This fresh crunchy salad is the perfect dinner and stores well for lunch the next day!
Tasty and crunchy! This feels like a substantial salad as you are eating it — a meal all by itself. The Ramen noodles add more than you’d expect! Perfect for the summer season.
Growing up, my mom made this recipe and it always reminds me of childhood! SO good!!
my mom would make this growing up and we LOVED it! such an easy and healthy recipe.