Asian Chicken Salad with Lemon

The weather has been scorching hot, so I think you will appreciate this easy and light Asian Chicken Salad with Lemon.

A Surprising Ingredient

While you don’t often see lemons in Asian-style salads of this type, it really is one of the stars of the dish.

Offering a more mellow acidity than lime, as well as a hint of sweetness, the lemon is bright and delicious. I slice the lemons very thinly and actually eat the lemon slices along with the chicken.

If that’s too sour for you, then you can just let the lemon flavor the salad. But I find it refreshing!

Adapting & Adjusting This Recipe

This Asian Chicken Salad with Lemon is a very flexible recipe. Here are a few ways to adjust it!

If you want to make it a complete meal, you can also add vegetables, such as thinly julienned carrot or cucumber.

Instead of chicken thighs, you can use boneless skinless chicken breasts or if you’re looking for a more economical option, you can even use chicken drumsticks. See our Bang Bang Chicken recipe for instructions on cooking chicken breast, or our Poached Chicken with Ginger Scallion Sauce for instructions on cooking drumsticks.

We recommend adding Thai bird chili to this recipe, which gives it a great contrasting heat. I think it elevates the dish by a mile! But you can omit it if you don’t like spicy food.

If you aren’t a fan of cilantro, you can substitute other herbs like mint or Thai basil.

Feel free to adjust the seasoning to taste! More or less garlic, additional oyster sauce, soy sauce, or vinegar, etc.

Cutting board with garlic, lemon slices, cilantro, and chili — Asian Chicken Salad with Lemon 26

Ok, on to the recipe.

Recipe Instructions

In a medium pot, bring 6 to 7 cups of water to a boil, along with 3 slices of ginger and 1 scallion.

Add the chicken thighs, and bring the water to a boil again. Immediately turn off the heat, cover tightly, and let the chicken sit in the pot for 12 to 15 minutes (depending on the size of your chicken thighs). The chicken is done when you poke the thickest part of the thigh with a chopstick and the juice runs clear.

Removing poached chicken thigh from pot of water — Asian Chicken Salad with Lemon 27

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic, and cook for 15 seconds. Then add the Shaoxing wine, and bring the mixture to a simmer.

When it starts to simmer, immediately turn off the heat. Stir in the light soy sauce, rice vinegar and oyster sauce.

Stirring sauce with measuring spoon in saucepan — Asian Chicken Salad with Lemon 28

When the chicken is cooked through, transfer it to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Use your hands to shred it into smaller bite-sized pieces, and transfer to a mixing bowl.

Shredded boneless skinless chicken thigh — Asian Chicken Salad with Lemon 29

Add the sauce to the chicken, along with the chilies (if using), cilantro, and lemon slices. Toss well, and add salt to taste. Serve.