Grilled Chicken Cabbage Salad

Salad recipes are a great way to create a balanced meal with very little effort. Plus, they are refreshing for hot summer days and won’t heat up your kitchen!

Cabbage is such a versatile vegetable. I use it in a bunch of different ways like in my Cabbage Steak Recipe, Chopped Red Cabbage Kale Salad, and One-Pan Chicken and Cabbage.

With a knife:

1. Use a sharp knife to cut the cabbage in half through the stem, then again to make quarters.
2. Hold the bottom of each quarter against a cutting board and cut at an angle to remove the stem.
3. Lay one quarter on its side and slice across it widthwise to make thin shreds. For longer pieces, cut lengthwise.
4. Repeat with each quarter until the whole cabbage has been sliced.

With a mandolin slicer:

1. Cut the cabbage into quarters and remove the stem as instructed above.
2. Adjust the blade on the mandolin to the correct thickness, then run the cabbage over the blade with one of the flat sides facing down.
3. Continue with the remaining quarters. Be careful not to cut your fingers as you get to the end of the wedge, and you may need to finish those with a knife.

How to make chicken cabbage salad

• Chicken breasts – boneless, skinless
• Olive oil
• Italian seasoning
• Paprika
• Garlic powder
• Salt and pepper

• Cabbage, shredded 
• Carrot, peeled and shredded
• Green onion, thinly sliced
• Zucchini, grilled and sliced
• Red onion, chopped

• Lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• Olive oil
• Crushed red pepper
• Salt and pepper

Slice the zucchini into thick coins. Pat dry the chicken breasts and season both sides with the spices listed.

Next, heat a grill or grill pan and brush with olive oil.

Cook the zucchini until tender and crisp. Grill the chicken on both sides until cooked all the way through, then remove and let rest on a plate or cutting board.

Make the salad

While the chicken is resting, prepare the remaining vegetables and slice the zucchini coins in half. Add all to a large bowl and mix to combine.

In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Then, pour over the salad and toss to coat.

For more flavor, add chopped avocado before serving. Enjoy!

Frequently asked questions

You can prepare and store the chicken, salad, and dressing separately up to a day ahead of time. Keep in the refrigerator, then combine just before serving.

What size cabbage should I use for this salad recipe?

One medium-sized cabbage will make about 4 cups of shreds. Or, save time by using a bag of pre-shredded cabbage – one 10-ounce bag should equal about 4 cups.

Can I substitute something else for the chicken?

Sure! This cabbage salad recipe tastes just as good with steak, sausage, or shrimp. If you’ll be using a different protein, you may want to replace the lemon juice in the dressing with red wine vinegar instead.

• Grilled Chicken Avocado Salad
• Quinoa Cabbage Salad
• Chicken Salad with Spicy Mayo Dressing
• Salmon Patties with Coleslaw

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5 from 2 votes

Grilled Chicken Cabbage Salad

Chicken cabbage salad combines fresh vegetables and grilled chicken with a simple dressing. Make this recipe tonight for an easy meal in 20 minutes!

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 10 minutes

0 minutes

Total: 20 minutes

Servings: 2 people

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Ingredients

FOR THE CHICKEN

• ▢ 2 free range organic boneless skinless chicken breasts
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon Fresh ground black pepper

FOR THE SALAD

• ▢ 4 cups cabbage purple, green or a mix shredded
• ▢ 1/2 carrot peeled and shredded
• ▢ 2 green onions root end removed and sliced thin
• ▢ 1 zucchini grilled and sliced
• ▢ ½ cup red onions chopped

FOR THE DRESSING

• ▢ 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ▢ 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ A pinch of red crushed pepper
• ▢ Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

FOR THE CHICKEN

• Season chicken all the spices from chicken ingredients.
• Place chicken on a greased grill or grill pan and cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side, or until the chicken is cooked though.
• Leave the breast chicken to cool down, slice it and set aside.

FOR THE SALAD

• Place all the ingredients for coleslaw salad in a large bowl and mix well.
• In a mason jar, pour the freshly squeezed lemon juice and olive oil. Add salt and pepper and red crushed pepper. Whisk everything together. Continue to whisk while streaming in the olive oil. Taste to check the seasoning and pour over the salad.
• Add the sliced breast chicken on top of the salad. Enjoy!

Tips

• Make sure you let the chicken rest before slicing for the salad so it stays moist.
• If you do not have chicken breasts, you can swap them for chicken thighs but you'll have to adjust the cooking time.
• You can buy pre-shredded cabbage to save prep time.
• To store: Store the salad and dressing separately to keep them from being soggy. Store separately for up to 3 days in the fridge.  

Video

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/4 Calories: 205kcal (10%) Carbohydrates: 9g (3%) Protein: 11g (22%) Fat: 15g (23%) Saturated Fat: 2g (13%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g Monounsaturated Fat: 8g Cholesterol: 30mg (10%) Sodium: 475mg (21%) Potassium: 400mg (11%) Fiber: 4g (17%) Sugar: 5g (6%)

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.

© Author: Olivia Ribas