Crunchy Ramen Noodle Salad features uncooked Ramen noodles – yup, that 49 cent package! – crushed up directly into a salad for a delicious crunch! With rotisserie chicken (or tofu), vegetables, and peanuts, it’s all tossed in a ginger soy dressing. This is a one-bowl, no-cook, 15 minute, full-meal dinner salad with delicious flavor and texture!
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My mother used to make this when I was growing up, and believe me, I was skeptical at first too.
It might sound strange, but crunching uncooked ramen noodles into a salad is actually delicious! It’s crunchy – but not TOO crunchy – adding substance and a crouton-like texture to this east Asian-inspired salad.
Rotisserie chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, corn, green onions, and chopped up peanuts make up the rest of the salad. Everything is tossed in an easy honey soy ginger dressing that you probably already have the ingredients for.
So toss that seasoning packet (and its over 1500 mg of sodium – eek!) and put that 49 cent package of ramen noodles to good use in this easy, hearty, healthy salad. The perfect no-cook dinner for a hot summer’s day!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- 3 oz. Ramen noodle package – yes, just like you used to get in college!
- Rotisserie chicken – or any cooked shredded chicken, or tofu prepared how you like it for a vegetarian option.
- Romaine lettuce – or other salad greens.
- Cherry tomatoes
- Corn – I used fresh, but frozen or canned are fine.
- Roasted peanuts – or other nuts, like pecans, or seeds like sunflower and/or sesame for a nut free version.
- Green onions
- Honey – or maple syrup or sugar for a vegan option.
- Soy Sauce
- Rice Vinegar – or a similar mild tasting vinegar like apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar.
- Fresh ginger
- Olive oil – or other preferred oil.
- Black pepper
How to make Crunchy Ramen Noodle Salad
First, whisk the dressing in the bottom of a large bowl. Add the chicken to it and toss to coat – this will help rehydrate it. Add all the other ingredients on top of the chicken, crunching the ramen noodles directly into the bowl with your hands. Toss together and serve!
Do the leftovers hold up well?
This salad is best served right away, as it will get a bit soggy as it sits. That said, the leftovers are definitely worth keeping!
Are raw ramen noodles safe to eat?
From a food safety perspective, yes! As long as they are the dried out kind you get in the aisle (as opposed to the refrigerated, raw soft kind), they are safe to eat uncooked. This is because they are pre-cooked during the preparation process and then dried. They’re great in this salad because they’re paired with other hydrating ingredients, but noshing on a bunch of dried ramen noodles alone may not be a great idea since they lack water content.
Tasty Tip
Keep peeled fresh ginger in your freezer! It lasts a long time and is easier to grate on a microplane zester directly from its frozen state.
Can I use the seasoning package for anything else?
Personally, I would just toss it. Those packets of seasonings from the ramen packages are notoriously high in sodium, with one packet having more than 1500mg! Unless you’re in severe need of recuperating electrolytes, I’d skip it. Instead, opt for homemade chicken broth or low sodium chicken better than bouillon for similar needs.
Tasty Tip
This salad would also be great with a store-bought this miso sesame ginger dressing!
How to make this salad Vegetarian/Vegan
To make this ramen salad vegetarian, use tofu instead of chicken. I recommend this soy sauce and black pepper tofu – it’s easy and flavorful, perfect for salads like this! To make it vegan, also swap out the honey for another sweetener like maple syrup or plain old sugar.
Other easy dinner salads:
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Crunchy Ramen Noodle Salad
Ingredients
For the Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 ½ tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger see notes
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- ⅓ cup olive oil or oil of choice
For the Salad:
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken such as rotisserie
- 5 cups chopped romaine lettuce from about 2 medium hearts, or other salad greens of choice
- 1 cup corn fresh cut off about 1 cob, frozen and defrosted, or drained canned – any type is fine!
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 2 green onions sliced
- ½ cup dry roasted peanuts roughly chopped
- 1 3-oz. package ramen noodles seasoning package discarded
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Instructions
- In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk together the 2 tablespoons honey, 1 ½ tablespoons low sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, and ⅓ cup olive oil.
- Add the 2 cups cooked shredded chicken to the bowl and toss to coat in the dressing. If possible, let it sit for a few minutes (this is a good time to prep your remaining ingredients).
- Add the 5 cups chopped romaine lettuce, 1 cup corn, 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes, sliced 2 green onions, and chopped ½ cup dry roasted peanuts. Crumble the dry ramen noodles directly into the salad with your hands.
- Toss everything together and serve!
Notes
- This salad is best served immediately, since it will get soggy as it sits. If you want to prep in advance, mix up the dressing and prepare all the other ingredients, so you only need to assemble just before serving.
- For a vegan option, use cooked tofu (such as this black pepper and soy sauce tofu) and swap out the honey for sugar or maple syrup.
- For a nut-free version, use sunflower seeds, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), and/or toasted sesame seeds for an added crunch instead of the peanuts. Other nuts, such as pecans or walnuts, or even honey roasted peanuts, can be used.
- Always keep peeled fresh ginger in your freezer. It stays good for a very long time, and is super easy to grate directly from frozen with a microplane zester!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
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