Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad: Grilled, Crispy & Wrap

I used to skip the salad section at Applebee’s completely. Not because the options were bad. Because most restaurant salads feel like side dishes pretending to be meals. You order one, eat it in eight minutes, and spend the rest of the night thinking about what you should have ordered instead.

The Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad is different. I ordered it the first time expecting a light lunch. What arrived was a full bowl of romaine lettuce, shredded green and red cabbage, julienned carrots, crispy chow mein noodles, toasted almond slices, grilled chicken, and a honey-sesame oriental vinaigrette, served with a buttery garlic breadstick on the side. It was a proper meal. Not a side dish.

This salad has been on the Applebee’s menu for years, and there is a reason it keeps coming back. It delivers crunch, protein, sweetness, and a dressing that actually has flavor. And you can order it three different ways: with crispy breaded chicken, with grilled chicken, or as a handheld wrap. Each version is a different eating experience.

This guide covers all three. You will get the exact ingredients, the price, the calorie count for each version, and a straight answer on which one is worth ordering based on your priorities. Want to explore more than just salads? Check out our complete Applebee’s Menu with Prices to see the latest appetizers, burgers, chicken dishes, steaks, pasta, desserts, drinks, and more. It is an easy way to compare your options before deciding what to order.

What Is the Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad?

The Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad is a full-entrée salad that has been part of the Applebee’s menu for well over a decade. According to Applebee’s own menu description, it is a long-running favorite where chicken tops a bed of fresh Asian greens, crunchy noodles, and almonds tossed in their oriental vinaigrette, served with a golden brown signature breadstick brushed with buttery garlic and parsley.

What sets this salad apart from most casual dining salads is the texture combination. Most restaurant salads are soft throughout. The Oriental Chicken Salad has crunch from two separate sources: the chow mein noodles and the sliced almonds. The noodles add a light, crispy bite. The almonds add a richer, denser crunch with a toasted flavor. Both survive the dressing well enough that the last bite is still different from the first.

The dressing is an oriental vinaigrette with a honey and sesame base. It is sweet, tangy, and slightly savory. It does not overpower the salad, but it does tie every component together.

The garlic breadstick on the side is a nice bonus. It is soft, golden, and brushed with a buttery garlic and parsley finish. Most people eat it while they are working through the salad.

Three Ways to Order It: Crispy, Grilled, and Wrapped

The Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad comes in three distinct versions. Here is what each one means in practice.

Oriental Chicken Salad (Crispy)

This is the original version. It uses crispy breaded chicken tenders sliced and placed over the salad. The breading adds a thick, crunchy exterior to each chicken piece. The crispy version is more indulgent, higher in calories, and delivers a stronger contrast between the soft salad base and the crunchy protein.

Grilled Oriental Chicken Salad

This version swaps the crispy tenders for a marinated fire-grilled chicken breast, sliced and laid over the same salad base. The grilled version is lower in calories and fat. The chicken is juicier and lighter in texture. This is the version to order if you want the salad to feel like a cleaner, more balanced meal.

Grilled Oriental Chicken Salad Wrap

This takes the core ingredients and folds them into a flour tortilla wrap. You get the same chicken, same Asian greens, same noodles, almonds, and oriental vinaigrette, but in a portable handheld format. The wrap version changes the eating experience significantly. The tortilla wraps around everything and compresses the textures. The noodles stay crunchier inside the wrap because the dressing does not spread as freely. This version is also a good option for taking food to go.

Ingredients: What Goes Into Each Version

All three versions share the same core salad base. Here is the exact ingredient breakdown.

The Salad Base (All Three Versions)

• Romaine lettuce
• Shredded green cabbage
• Shredded red cabbage
• Julienned carrots
• Crispy rice noodles (chow mein style)
• Toasted almond slices
• Sliced green onions
• Oriental vinaigrette dressing

Chicken, Crispy Version: Crispy breaded chicken tenders. The breading is a seasoned flour-based coating. The tenders are fried and sliced before being placed over the salad.

Chicken, Grilled Version: Marinated fire-grilled chicken breast. Sliced and served warm over the cold salad base. The marinade is light and does not add a competing flavor to the oriental dressing.

The Wrap Version: All of the above, wrapped in a flour tortilla. The tortilla is the same type used for Applebee’s other wrap items.

Served With (All Versions): A signature golden brown breadstick brushed with buttery garlic and parsley. The breadstick comes on the side and is not part of the salad itself.

Price and Calories: the Full Breakdown

Price context: At $13.49 to $14.99, all three versions are priced similarly. This is on the higher side for a salad at a casual dining chain, but the portion size justifies it. This is a full-entrée salad, not a starter.

Calorie context: The calorie difference between crispy and grilled is 120 calories per serving (1,560 vs. 1,440), which is meaningful if you are tracking intake but not dramatic enough to be the only reason to choose one over the other. A bigger calorie impact comes from the dressing. The oriental vinaigrette is calorie-dense due to its honey and oil base. Asking for it on the side and using about half reduces the total calories more significantly than just switching from crispy to grilled.

The Oriental Vinaigrette: What Makes It Work

The dressing is the most important ingredient in this salad. Every component in the bowl is built around the assumption that the oriental vinaigrette is what ties it together.

Here is what the dressing actually is: a honey and sesame-based vinaigrette with rice vinegar, soy, and ginger notes. It is sweet, but not cloyingly so. The vinegar keeps it light and tangy. The sesame adds a warm, nutty undertone that pairs directly with the toasted almonds in the salad.

The dressing works well against every other component in the bowl. The sweetness complements the carrots and cabbage. The tang cuts through the richness of the crispy chicken breading. The sesame note connects to the chow mein noodles. It is a genuinely well-matched dressing for this specific salad.

How Each Version Actually Tastes

Is the Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad Healthy?

Here is the straightforward answer: this salad is substantial, not light.

At 1,440 to 1,560 calories with dressing and breadstick, this is a full-day meal for many people. Over half of the total calories come from fat. The oriental vinaigrette alone is calorie-dense, and the breadstick adds another 180 calories on top of the salad itself.

That said, there are ways to make this salad work within a calorie goal:

• Order grilled instead of crispy. Saves approximately 120 calories.
• Ask for dressing on the side and use half. The dressing is one of the biggest calorie contributors. Controlling how much you use can cut 100 to 200 calories from the plate.
• Skip the breadstick. The breadstick adds around 180 calories. Leaving it means you save almost 200 calories without changing the salad itself.
• Ask for no noodles if you want fewer carbs. The chow mein noodles add crunch and carbohydrates. Removing them drops the carb count meaningfully without significantly changing the flavor.

Even with modifications, this is a calorie-forward salad. But the protein content is strong. The grilled version with full ingredients delivers approximately 40 to 50 grams of protein, which is one of the higher-protein options on the Applebee’s salad menu.

How to Customize It

Applebee’s allows protein substitution and dressing substitution on this salad. Here is what is available.

Protein options:

• Crispy breaded chicken tenders (default for the base Oriental Chicken Salad)
• Grilled chicken breast (default for the Grilled Oriental Chicken Salad)

Dressing alternatives:

• If you want to avoid sesame or reduce sweetness, ask your server about available dressing substitutions. Common options include ranch, balsamic vinaigrette, honey mustard, and Caesar, depending on location.

Other modifications:

• Dressing on the side (recommended for the wrap version and for calorie control)
• No breadstick (saves approximately 180 calories)
• No chow mein noodles (reduces carbohydrate content)
• No almonds (removes the tree nut allergen)

Applebee’s notes on their menu that they are happy to make substitutions on dressings and proteins. Always confirm specific customization options with your server at your location.

Oriental Chicken Salad vs. Other Applebee’s Salads

Where the Oriental Chicken Salad wins: This is the only salad on the Applebee’s menu that delivers an Asian-inspired flavor profile. If you want something different from a standard Caesar or honey mustard salad, this is the clear pick. The combination of textures (noodles, almonds, cabbage, chicken) is also more complex than most other salads on the menu.

Where other salads win: If calories are the priority, the Crispy Chicken Tender Salad at approximately 1,220 calories is a lighter option with a similar price point. If you want maximum indulgence, the Double Crunch Quesadilla Chicken Salad is the biggest, boldest option, though it comes in at 2,230 calories.

Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad: All Three Versions at a Glance

Allergen and Dietary Information

Applebee’s cannot ensure menu items do not contain ingredients that might cause an allergic reaction. Their kitchens use shared prep areas and equipment.

Dietary notes:

• This salad is not gluten-free. The chow mein noodles and breadsticks both contain wheat.
• Not suitable for nut allergies due to almond content. Ask to remove almonds if needed.
• The oriental vinaigrette contains sesame. Guests with sesame allergies should request a different dressing.
• The salad is not vegan or vegetarian in its standard form. The chicken is the primary protein.

Full allergen information is available at Applebees.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

The first time I ordered the Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad expecting a light lunch, I left the restaurant full and thinking about when I would order it again. That is not a common experience with a salad.

Here is what I know after ordering all three versions across multiple visits: the crispy version is the most satisfying if you want something indulgent. The grilled version is the right pick if you want a well-balanced meal that does not feel heavy by the end. And the wrap is the best option if you need something portable or want to take it to go.

The Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad has stayed on the menu for years because it earns repeat orders. The combination of textures, the flavor of the oriental vinaigrette, and the size of the portion make it one of the better salad options in casual dining at this price point.

My recommendation: if you are ordering for the first time, get the grilled version with dressing on the side. Use about half the dressing. You will have room for the breadstick, the flavor will stay balanced, and you will not leave feeling overfull. That is the smartest way to eat this salad.

Confirm availability and pricing at your local Applebee’s before visiting. Use the Applebee’s app for accurate current menu and pricing information.