Super Food In Minutes20 Minutes

Chinese Chopped Chicken Salad with Bacon XO Sauce

Name: Chinese Chopped Chicken Salad with Bacon XO Sauce
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 350g (12oz) red cabbage (about 1/3), finely shredded; 1/2 Chinese cabbage, shredded; 1 large carrot (150g/5oz), peeled and julienned or shredded; 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs; 100g (3 1/2oz) jar bacon jam; 2 tsp fish sauce; 1 tsp reduced salt soy sauce; 2 tsp rice vinegar; 1 bird’s-eye chilli, finely chopped; For the dressing; 2 tbsp rice vinegar; 1 tbsp reduced salt soy sauce; 1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil

XO sauce is a funky chilli and pork sauce that adds a wonderful depth of flavour to Chinese dishes, but it takes time and lots of ingredients to make at home. This is a great little shortcut, using a jar of ready-made bacon jam (easily available online and in supermarkets) and adding a twist with soy sauce, fish sauce and rice vinegar.

Donal SkehanFrom the series · Super Food In Minutes

20 min totalServes 4Easy

Time20 min

Serves4

SkillEasy

ShowSuper Food In Minutes

Method

Put the shredded cabbages and carrot into a salad bowl. Whisk all the ingredients for the dressing together in a small bowl, pour over the salad and toss to combine. Set aside to soften and macerate.

Heat the oil in a frying pan. Season the chicken and fry over a medium heat for 3–4 minutes on each side until just cooked. Set aside to rest.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan warm the bacon jam with the fish sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar and chilli.

Chop the chicken and add to the salad with the warm bacon jam. Toss to combine before serving.

Cook's notes

Make the dressing first and let the shredded veg macerate in it while you cook the chicken — it softens the raw crunch just enough.
Shred the Chinese cabbage by laying it on its side and slicing it finely, and ribbon the carrot with a vegetable peeler — quick, even and no fancy knife work.
Season the chicken on one side, get it into a hot pan straight away, then season the other side while the first browns; rest it briefly before chopping so it stays juicy.
Warm the bacon jam gently with the fish sauce and vinegar rather than boiling it — you want it loose and pourable, not caramelised and claggy.
I leave the seeds in the chilli for a serious kick of heat — take them out, or start with half a chilli, if you're feeding anyone chilli-shy.

Serve with Filling enough to stand alone for lunch, but a bowl of steamed rice or some prawn crackers on the side makes it a fuller dinner. A cold beer or sparkling water with lime cuts through the richness of the bacon jam.

Make ahead & storage Best assembled and eaten fresh while the chicken is warm. If you're prepping ahead, keep the shredded veg, cooked chicken and bacon dressing separate in the fridge for up to two days and combine just before serving.

20 MinutesAsian

Recipe by Donal Skehan · From the series Super Food In Minutes · Photography © Appetite Media
Published 13 July 2026 · Updated 15 July 2026

Nutrition

Per serving

317kcal

17gprotein

20gcarbs

17gfat

Figures from the show's kitchen.

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