Sesame Chicken Salad
Published June 16, 2022 • Updated March 13, 2026
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I found this recipe the same way most people did: scrolling TikTok and watching Kylie Jenner eat it on camera. The difference is I actually went and made it, then made it again the next day, and now it’s been in my weekly lunch rotation for years. That’s not hype. I triple the tahini dressing every Sunday so I can throw this together in under ten minutes on any given weekday.
The dressing is what makes this whole thing work. Tahini, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, and soy sauce whisked together into something nutty, savory, and just tangy enough to cut through the richness. One thing to know: the tahini can seize up mid-whisk into a thick paste. Mine does this every time. A tablespoon of water loosens it right up. That splash of rice vinegar is what keeps the dressing from feeling heavy, and that brightness is what separates it from every other tahini-based dressing I’ve made.
The salad itself is all about contrast. Soft butter lettuce against crunchy red cabbage. Fresh cilantro and green onion running through everything. Slivered almonds and two kinds of sesame seeds (toasted and black) for texture and a little visual pop. Then grilled chicken on top, and you have a low carb lunch that actually fills you up. I use boneless skinless thighs because the flavor holds up better against the bold dressing, but rotisserie chicken works when I don’t feel like grilling. Season the chicken well before cooking. The dressing is bold and the protein needs to stand up to it.
If you like this kind of bright, crunchy salad, I have a few others in the same family. My Thai chicken salad has a peanut dressing with a similar crunch factor. The Asian cucumber salad uses the same sesame-soy flavor profile but lighter, more of a side dish. And the Jennifer Aniston salad goes in a completely different direction but is just as good on repeat.
For a keto meal, this checks every box. Enough protein from the chicken, healthy fats from the tahini and almonds, and the carb count stays low enough that I don’t even think about it. I’ve served this without chicken as a vegetarian side when friends come over, and the dressing carries the whole thing on its own. If you’re looking for more ways to use grilled chicken, my avocado version is in my regular rotation too.
How to make sesame chicken salad
- Make the dressing. Whisk together rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, tahini, brown sugar substitute, salt, and pepper. If the tahini seizes up (it probably will), add a tablespoon of water and keep whisking until smooth.
- Build the salad. Add butter lettuce, shredded red cabbage, green onion, cilantro, slivered almonds, toasted sesame seeds, black sesame seeds, and grilled chicken on top of the dressing.
- Toss and serve. Best eaten right away before the lettuce starts to wilt.
Key ingredients and swaps
- Tahini dressing. Everything gets whisked together in one bowl. Rice vinegar brightens the whole thing (white vinegar or apple cider vinegar work too). Toasted sesame oil brings that deep nutty flavor. Soy sauce adds salty umami. Use tamari for gluten-free, or coconut aminos if you skip soy. I’ve swapped the tahini for peanut butter when I ran out, and a few readers confirmed the same thing: it works.
- Butter lettuce. Soft, silky leaves that almost melt under the dressing. I prefer it here, but romaine, green leaf, or spring mix all work.
- Red cabbage. For crunch, color, and a little sweetness. I shred it thin so it mixes evenly.
- Green onion and cilantro. These two together give the salad its fresh, bright flavor. If you hate cilantro, leave it out, but I’d add a squeeze of lime instead.
- Almonds and sesame seeds. Slivered almonds for crunch, toasted and black sesame seeds for color. For a nut-free swap, use sunflower seeds.
- Chicken. I grill boneless skinless thighs because they have the best flavor. Chicken breast or tenders work too. Rotisserie chicken from the deli is the fastest option: shred it and toss it in. My grilled chicken tenders recipe works as the protein here too. Skip the chicken entirely for a vegetarian side.
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Ingredients
2 tablespoons rice vinegar -
3 tablespoons tahini
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1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
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1 tablespoon soy sauce, tamari or liquid aminos
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1 teaspoon brown sugar substitute
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1/4 teaspoon salt
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1/4 teaspoon pepper
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4-6 cups butter lettuce
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1 cup shredded red cabbage
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1/4 cup chopped cilantro
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1 green onion, sliced
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1 tablespoon slivered almonds
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1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
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1/2 teaspoon black sesame seeds
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24 oz cooked or grilled chicken
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Whisk salad dressing
In a large bowl, add tahini, rice vinegar, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, brown sugar substitute, salt and pepper. Whisk until combined.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my tahini dressing thick and paste-like instead of coating the lettuce?
My tahini seizes up mid-whisk almost every time. The fix is simple: add a tablespoon of warm water and keep whisking. It loosens up within 30 seconds. If your tahini was refrigerated, that makes it worse. I let mine sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before I start. You can also use a mini food processor (one of my readers swears by this method), and it blends out smooth without the arm workout.
Can I use a blender or food processor for the dressing?
I've done it both ways. A mini food processor or blender gets the dressing smoother and faster, especially if your tahini is cold or particularly thick. When I whisk by hand, I go slow, adding the liquid ingredients to the tahini gradually instead of dumping everything in at once. Either method works, but the food processor is more forgiving if you're new to working with tahini.
How long does the tahini dressing last in the fridge?
I keep mine for up to 5 days in a sealed mason jar and it's always fine. The oils separate and the tahini thickens, but a quick shake brings it right back. I've found that a jar with a tight lid makes the shake-to-remix step easier than a wide bowl. If it smells off or the color changes, toss it, but in my experience it never lasts long enough to go bad.
Can I make this salad without chicken?
I've served this without chicken plenty of times when friends come over and someone doesn't eat meat. The dressing and the crunch from the cabbage, almonds, and sesame seeds carry it on their own. You could add crispy baked tofu or roasted chickpeas for more protein. I've tried both and the tofu picks up the tahini dressing better. Or make it as a side for something like chicken stir fry or chicken katsu.
How many net carbs are in a serving?
Check the nutrition label on the recipe card below for the exact count, but this is one of my lowest carb lunches in rotation. The main carb sources are the tahini, red cabbage, and the tiny amount of brown sugar substitute. I've never had to worry about it fitting into a keto day with room to spare.
Is this salad gluten-free?
Almost. The soy sauce is the only ingredient with gluten. I swap it for tamari when I make this for my friend who's gluten-free and the flavor difference is barely noticeable. Coconut aminos work too if you avoid soy entirely. Everything else in the salad is naturally gluten-free.
Can I add mandarin oranges or crispy wontons?
You can, but both add carbs. I skip the mandarin oranges when I'm keeping it keto because they bump the count up noticeably. For a crunchy topping, I fry strips of a low carb tortilla in avocado oil to make my own wonton strips. They crisp up in about 2 minutes and give you that same crackly texture without the carb hit. I've made them a few times now and they hold up better than store-bought wontons anyway.
Seventh time making this and I still stop what I'm doing when I taste the tahini dressing. It's that balance of sesame oil and rice vinegar. Freaking impossible to get tired of.
Seven times and still clocking it. One teaspoon of sesame oil is intentional, too much and the whole dressing tips heavy.
Made this twice this week and the tahini dressing is one of the better ones I've put together. Rice vinegar cuts the heaviness perfectly. One thing though: 3 tablespoons of tahini came out really thick both times, almost paste-like on the lettuce instead of coating it. A splash more rice vinegar or just a tablespoon of water fixed it and pulled everything together much better. Butter lettuce and red cabbage held up longer than expected too, no wilting after sitting. Season the chicken hard before grilling because the dressing is bold and the protein needs to match. Once I got the consistency right this went straight into my weekday lunch rotation.
More rice vinegar keeps it right, water dilutes it a bit. Mine goes heavy on salt before the grill.
I've never made a salad dressing from scratch before and the tahini part had me second-guessing myself the whole time. Then I whisked it all together and it was this thick, creamy situation that smelled incredible. I genuinely did not expect my first attempt at something like this to go that well. Making it for lunch again this week.
First-scratch dressing on attempt one. That's not nothing. Mine clumps mid-whisk every time, then smooths out. Glad it landed.
My daughter is at that age where she rolls her eyes at anything I put in front of her, so when she came back for more of this salad and then texted asking for the recipe link, I could not believe it. The tahini dressing is what got her, I'm pretty sure. It has this nutty creaminess that doesn't taste like diet food, and her telling me it was actually good was basically a standing ovation in this house. I almost skipped the cilantro because she normally picks it out of everything, but something about how it works with the sesame oil had her eating every leaf. We're deep in February and I've made this three Sundays in a row. Only note: the dressing runs a little light for my taste, so I do 1.5x and that hits just right.
A teenager texting for the recipe link. I'll take that over five stars. And yeah, the cilantro (people who say they hate it eat every leaf in this salad without noticing). Something about the tahini and sesame oil wrapping around it.
Brought this to a friends' lunch last weekend because I was on salad duty and a little nervous about showing up with lettuce in February. The tahini dressing turned out to be the most-interrogated item on the table. My one friend who has zero interest in anything diet-adjacent kept asking what was in it, made me read the ingredient list out loud, and still couldn't figure out how rice vinegar and tahini could taste that bright and creamy together. The butter lettuce held up surprisingly well even sitting out the whole time, which was my main fear going in. I doubled the dressing and almost ran out anyway, which is probably where my 4 stars land (it just needs more dressing built in by default). Already planning to bring it to book club next month.
Double dressing is the right call. I honestly should just update the recipe to reflect that. And the rice vinegar is what does it, tahini alone would be heavy but that splash of vinegar is where all the brightness comes from.
Love this! I have made this several times now and I add chicken and a plant based salad topper with nuts and cranberries. I add peanut butter and extra soy to the dressing. Love this!
The cranberries with the tahini dressing are an interesting call. Bet the tartness works with all that soy and sesame.
I made this, so good! I added lime juice (lots) and more soy sauce. Also used my mini food processor as whisking the tahini wasn't working out :). This will be a regular salad dressing in my house from now on. Enjoy so many of your recipes and videos, thanks.
Mini food processor is the better call for tahini anyway. Whisking by hand you have to go really slow or it seizes up. Lime with extra soy sounds good on this dressing.
I just made this but since I didn't have tahini and did not want to make my own due to time, I used peanut butter instead and used pecans as well and it was delicious
Peanut butter with the rice vinegar and soy sauce is actually a solid combo. Pecans with the butter lettuce, that's a nice texture change from the almonds. Might steal that.