The sesame chicken salad Kylie Jenner made famous: crunchy butter lettuce, red cabbage, almonds, and grilled chicken in my creamy tahini dressing. 37.4g protein and 6.9g net carbs, ready in 10 minutes, and on my weekly rotation.
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.
What is tahini?
Tahini is ground sesame seeds blended into a thick, creamy paste. I use it in this dressing because it adds richness without any dairy, and it blends into the rice vinegar and soy sauce in a way peanut butter can’t quite match. You’ll find it in the international aisle at most grocery stores, usually near the hummus.
If you don’t have tahini, I’ve tested this with peanut butter and almond butter. Both work. Peanut butter makes the dressing a touch sweeter, almond butter keeps it more neutral. Either way, the sesame oil in the dressing still gives you that nutty base flavor.
Meal prep and storage
This salad is best eaten right away. The butter lettuce wilts once the dressing sits on it, and nobody wants a soggy salad. I keep the dressing and salad components separate until I’m ready to eat.
The tahini dressing lasts 5 days in the fridge in a sealed jar. I triple the batch every Sunday, which gets me through the week. Just shake or whisk it before using because it thickens as it sits. A splash of water or rice vinegar loosens it right up.
For the chicken, I grill a big batch at the start of the week. Sliced and stored in an airtight container, it stays good for 3-4 days. Having both the dressing and chicken prepped means I can pull this together in under five minutes for a keto lunch that doesn’t feel like meal prep. My chef salad is another one I prep the same way.
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.
In a large bowl, add tahini, rice vinegar, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, brown sugar substitute, salt and pepper. Whisk until combined.
2
Add salad ingredients
To the top of the dressing, add lettuce, red cabbage, green onion, cilantro, slivered almonds, sesame seeds and chicken. Toss to evenly coat.
Nutrition
Per serving: 1/4 of recipe
Calories
440
Fat
27.7g
Protein
37.4g
Total carbs
9.3g
Net carbs
6.9g
Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed. Brands vary, so check labels if you track closely.
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. Cold tahini makes it worse, so I let mine sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before I start. If you'd rather skip the whisking, a mini food processor or blender gets the dressing smooth and fast (one of my readers swears by this method). When I whisk by hand, I go slow and add the liquid ingredients to the tahini gradually instead of dumping everything in at once.
How many net carbs are in a serving?
Each serving has 6.9g net carbs, from 9.3g total carbs and 2.4g of fiber. The main carb sources are the tahini, the red cabbage, and the teaspoon of brown sugar substitute in the dressing. With 440 calories and 37.4g of protein, this is one of my lowest carb lunches in rotation and it fits into a keto day with room to spare.
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.
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.
Salting the red cabbage for ten minutes before assembling draws out the sharp raw edge without wilting it. Sits against the tahini way more cleanly. Figured that out when I had it prepped too far ahead, now I do it on purpose.
I was mixing the tahini dressing and the sesame oil hit before the jar was even closed. There’s a pan-Asian place I used to go all the time before keto, it had a dressing with exactly this ratio of toasted sesame and vinegar. Didn’t expect a salad to pull that back.
Taylor, the sesame-vinegar ratio was the hardest part to nail. I made this probably a dozen times before I stopped overshooting one or the other. Worth knowing if you don’t already: it has to be toasted sesame oil, not plain. Regular sesame oil barely registers. That it pulled back a specific place means the balance is probably right.
Overnight tahini marinade turned this into a completely different salad, and I only figured it out by accident. Prepped too early on a Sunday, no choice but to leave the chicken sitting in it. The sesame goes all the way through the meat instead of just coating the outside. Made it enough times now to say it’s not even close. Same-day is fine, but overnight is the salad.
I’ve never let the chicken sit in the tahini overnight. I always dress mine right before eating, so this is new to me. I’m doing that with Sunday’s batch.
Grabbed sunflower butter instead of tahini and didn’t realize until I was already home. It’s worked fine in other dressings, but tahini feels pretty central here, and I’ve never used it with rice vinegar and toasted sesame oil before. Would it throw the whole flavor off or is it worth trying?
Made this again today (third time this month, maybe fourth). Something about tahini dressing on a hot day just works and I genuinely can’t explain it. Had leftover grilled chicken in the fridge so it came together in maybe 8 minutes. Which is the whole point in summer when I won’t go near the oven. The crunch from the almonds and red cabbage is the part I’m thinking about when I’m not eating it, honestly. Weird thing to admit.
Prep the chicken on Sunday, keep the dressing in a jar, five-minute lunch all week. I portion everything into containers except the butter lettuce (add it day-of or it goes limp) and the tahini dressing holds up better than any vinaigrette I’ve tried for meal prep. Day four tastes the same as day one. Going into the permanent summer rotation.
Added a drizzle of chili crisp to the tahini dressing and the heat completely changed it for me. Not even close to how it tastes without it, making this on repeat now.
Chili crisp in tahini is so good. The heat cuts through the richness in a way hot sauce never does. I keep Fly By Jing in the fridge specifically for this.
My daughter has refused salad for years, but the tahini dressing got through. She came back for seconds without being asked. High praise in this house. Going on the spring rotation.
Yeah, pecans work fine. They’re softer than almonds so you lose some of that crisp snap, but the tahini coats them well. Chop them small so the pieces don’t overpower everything else in the bowl.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
