Bang Bang Chicken Salad (39g of Protein)
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I’m living for anything with bang bang sauce lately. I’ve already made bang bang chicken and bang bang salmon. Now I’m keeping the party going with this bang bang chicken salad and I can’t get enough.
We’re using shredded cabbage and shredded Brussels sprouts. Those are hard vegetables, so the sauce doesn’t wreck them but they still soften a little in the fridge without getting soggy. I make the whole thing as one big salad, toss it with the sauce, portion it into containers, and eat it all week. Does it get much easier?
The macro difference is in the sauce. Most bang bang sauce is heavy on the mayo with a little sweet chili sauce stirred into it. This one leans on Greek yogurt and uses 2 tablespoons of avocado mayo across all five servings. That’s how a creamy, sweet, spicy sauce lands in a bowl with only 10 grams of fat.
39 grams of protein, 328 calories, and 5 grams of fiber per bowl. The chicken marinates for 20 minutes and cooks in under 10, and the rest is two bags of pre-shredded vegetables and a whisk. For more like this, try my boom boom shrimp or hibachi bowls.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- 39g of protein and 328 calories per bowl
- Only 10g of fat, with 2 Tbsp of mayo split across the entire recipe
- Two bags of pre-shredded vegetables, so there’s almost no chopping
- Dressed ahead and it still holds up, which most salads cannot say
Ingredients and Substitutions:
These are the main ingredients and substitutions for this bang bang chicken salad. See the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and instructions.
- Chicken Breast, Sliced Thin. Thin is the whole point. Sliced thin, the chicken hits 165°F in 4 to 5 minutes a side and picks up real char in that time. A full-thickness breast takes long enough that the outside dries out before the middle is safe, and dry chicken in a cold salad is worse than dry chicken anywhere else. Slice it yourself or buy thin-cut cutlets.
- Nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt. This is what’s replacing most of the mayo, and it’s why the sauce comes in at 10g of fat instead of triple that. Nonfat keeps the numbers lowest, 5% tastes noticeably richer and creamier, both work. Don’t use vanilla or flavored yogurt.
- Avocado Mayo. Two tablespoons, total, for the entire recipe. Do not cut it out. That small amount is what keeps the sauce tasting like actual bang bang sauce instead of spicy yogurt, and split five ways it’s costing you almost nothing.
- Sweet Chili Sauce. Sweetness and body, and the reason the sugar reads 15g. If you want it lower, cut the sweet chili to 2 Tbsp and add a splash more rice vinegar so it doesn’t go flat. You’ll lose some of the glossy texture.
- Sriracha. This is your heat dial. 1 Tbsp is mild and mostly just warm, 2 Tbsp has real kick. Mix the sauce, taste it, then decide, because the yogurt mutes it more than you’d expect.
- Coleslaw Mix and Shredded Brussels Sprouts. These are the structural reason this recipe works. Cabbage and Brussels are dense and tough, so the sauce softens them instead of collapsing them. Swap in shredded kale if you want, but don’t swap in lettuce, spinach, or spring mix. Those will turn to slime overnight and the meal prep promise goes with them.
- Edamame. Extra protein and a firm bite against all the shredded stuff. Buy it shelled and frozen, then thaw.
- Cilantro. If cilantro tastes like soap to you, skip it and double the green onions. No hard feelings.
- Almonds and Wonton Strips. The crunch, and the one thing that genuinely does go soft. Keep them out of the containers and add them right before you eat.
Dietary Modifications
- Gluten-free: swap the soy sauce for tamari, check your sweet chili sauce (many are thickened with wheat), and skip the wonton strips or use a gluten-free crunch like the almonds.
- Dairy-free: swap the Greek yogurt for a plain unsweetened dairy-free yogurt. Kite Hill makes a great one. Everything else is naturally dairy-free.
Variations
- Peanuts instead of almonds for a more takeout flavor.
- Rotisserie chicken if you’re skipping the marinade entirely. Faster, but the macros change, so recalculate.
- More heat with extra sriracha in the sauce or chili crisp on top.
- Add shredded carrot or sliced red bell pepper if you want more color and crunch in the base.
Expert Tip
→ Dress the whole thing before you portion it. This is the opposite of standard meal prep advice and it’s correct here. Cabbage and Brussels sprouts are hard vegetables, and a few days with the sauce on them makes them more tender, not mushy. They soften. They do not get soggy.
If you’d rather hold the sauce back, it’s about 50g per bowl kept separate. It works. It’s just not better.
Troubleshooting Tips
- Chicken came out dry → sliced too thick, or cooked past 165°F. Fix: slice thin, use a thermometer, and rest it 5 minutes before chopping.
- Sauce is thin and runny → too much sriracha or vinegar for the amount of yogurt. Fix: add another spoonful of yogurt to bring it back.
- Sauce tastes flat → it’s under-seasoned rather than under-spiced. Fix: a pinch more garlic powder and a squeeze of vinegar before you add more sriracha.
- The crunch went soft → the almonds or wonton strips got stored in the container. Fix: keep them out until you’re eating.
Storage
Store in airtight containers in the fridge. Keep the almonds and wonton strips separate and add them right before eating.
Recipe FAQs
No. This is the question everyone asks and the answer is genuinely no. Cabbage and Brussels sprouts are hard, dense vegetables, so the sauce tenderizes them instead of wilting them. They soften a bit. They do not get soggy.
You can, about 50g per bowl, but I don’t. I like what the sauce does to the slaw and the Brussels as it sits. Toss the whole salad, portion it out, and add the crunchy toppings at the last minute.
Definitely, if you’re short on time. You’ll lose the marinade flavor and the macros will shift, so recalculate if you’re tracking closely.
That’s up to you. 1 Tbsp of sriracha is mild, 2 Tbsp brings real heat, and the Greek yogurt tones both down more than you’d think. Mix the sauce, taste it, adjust before it goes on the salad.
Two tablespoons of gochujang plus the chili flakes in the shrimp lands in medium territory. The chili crisp is the part that stacks up fast, so serve it on the side and let people add their own.
Absolutely. Whisk it together and keep it in a jar in the fridge. It’s also good on wraps, bowls, and roasted vegetables.
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Bang Bang Chicken Salad
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Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1.5 lbs. chicken breast, sliced thin
- 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp. honey
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp. ginger powder
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- avocado oil or olive oil spray for the pan/grill
Bang Bang Sauce
- 1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt or 5% for fuller flavor 112g
- 2 Tbsp. avocado mayo
- 3 Tbsp. sweet chili sauce
- 1-2 Tbsp. sriracha (to taste)
- 1 tsp. honey
- 1 tsp. rice vinegar
- 1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
- pinch garlic powder
Salad Base
- 1 bag coleslaw mix 14 oz.
- 1 bag shredded brussels sprouts mix 10 oz.
- 3/4 cup shelled edamame
- 1.2 cup chopped cilantro
- 3-4 green onions, sliced
Crunch
- 2 Tbsp. toasted sliced almonds or peanuts
- small handful crispy wonton strips (optional)
Instructions
- Combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey, garlic, ginger, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper in a bowl or Ziploc bag. Add chicken and marinate for 20 minutes (up to overnight).
- Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium-high with a light spray of oil. Cook chicken 4–5 minutes per side until charred and cooked through (165°F internal). Let rest 5 minutes, then chop into bite-sized pieces.
- Make the bang bang sauce: whisk together Greek yogurt, mayo, sweet chili sauce, sriracha, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and garlic powder until smooth. Taste and adjust heat/sweetness.
- In a large bowl, combine coleslaw mix, shredded Brussels sprouts, edamame, cilantro, and green onions.
- Toss the slaw mixture with about half the bang bang sauce until coated.
- Divide into 5 bowls or containers. Top each with chopped chicken and drizzle remaining sauce on top. Or you can mix in one large bowl and evenly disturbed approximately 325 grams per dish.
- Finish with toasted almonds split between the bowls, wonton strips (if using), and sesame seeds right before eating so they stay crunchy.
Notes
- If meal prepping, keep the crunch toppings separate until ready to eat. You can keep the sauce separate too (50g) per bowl but I personally like that it makes the slaw and brussels more tender as it sits in the fridge.
