We don’t often visit Applebees. When we want to go to a sit-down dining place, we usually want something a little fancier, and when we’re in the mood for something take-out, it’s not on the top of our minds. But, every now and then we do, and my partner quite likes their “oriental” chicken salad.
In an effort to shift our diets a little healthier, we’ve been eating a lot of salads recently, and we had the idea to try to mimic the Applebees salad. For the most part, it’s easy; just some cabbage, some carrot, some almonds, the chicken, etc. We use fried wonton strips instead of the crispy noodles they do, but it still turns out fine. The only tricky part is the dressing.
A lot of people have tried to mimic this dressing, and there’s always quite a bit of back-and-forth over it. I’m somewhat convinced that they’ve changed their recipe at least once, and that different people remember different things. Either way, this is the recipe I came up with, and even if it’s not 100% accurate, it’s still quite delicious. The ingredients blend in a way that’s delightfully fruity, without the abrasiveness they may have individually. Give it a try and tell me what you think!
Applebees Oriental Salad Dressing
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 6 Tbsp Honey
- 3 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
- ½ Cup Mayo
- 2 Tsp Dijon Mustard
- ½ Tsp Sesame Oil
- 1 Drop Almond Extract
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk until combined. It goes faster if the mayo is room temperature.