My 10-Minute Broccoli Crunch Salad Is as Good as a Restaurant’s

In the late 90’s, I entered the workforce full of naive aspirations, adorned in pantsuits bought on sale at Express. My friends and I worked bottom-rung jobs for unappreciative bosses, but for precisely 59 minutes each day, we got to race away from our desks and kvetch over packed lunches. 

When we were feeling flush or self-important, we’d meet at the nearby California Pizza Kitchen, where a lemonade had the audacity to cost $6, but we could sit on the patio and pretend to be our successful future selves. My order never wavered: the Chinese chicken salad, which was an ode to crunch and came in a vessel the size of a sea-worthy boat. 

I can’t tell you the last time I visited CPK because they deep-sixed my favorite salad by the time I started being able to dictate my own lunch hours. I am haunted by that rainbow-colored salad, though, and the satisfying crunch each element had; the bright, salty dressing I couldn’t get enough of. 

I don’t know what karmic retribution was served to the executive who took this item off the menu, but I imagine him doomed to a lifetime of soggy kale. The good news is, we’re adults now and can afford to buy our own peppers and gigantic bowls. 

Many Kinds of Crunch

What makes this salad spectacular is that each mouthful has a balance of textures and types of crunch. This starts with a base layer of cabbage. I enjoy the color contrast of purple and green cabbage, but you can use one or the other. 

Bell peppers give a beautiful contrast, and a softer chomp. Broccoli florets have a completely different texture, but maintain that snappy bite. Peanuts and crispy noodles are lighter chews, each with a satisfying texture. Finally, mandarin orange slices provide a sweet, juicy break amid the crunch. 

The Perfect Dressing

There is no shortage of recipes for citrus-soy salad dressing, but I say skip it, because the perfect salad dressing has already been invented. Annie’s Original Shiitake Sesame is so undeniably delicious, I will admit that I have occasionally taken a swig while standing at the refrigerator. It strikes the ideal balance of bright and salty.

If you can’t find Annie’s Original, any sesame-based salad dressing will do.

Preparing the Vegetables

You want plenty of crunch, but no one needs a sore jaw, either. Cut the cabbage into strips no wider than 1/4 inch. You prep that first so you can massage in some dressing, giving the cabbage ribbons time to absorb the flavors and soften. 

Cut the broccoli florets as close to the flower as possible and then break the florets apart by hand so each is no bigger than 1/2 inch. You can chop the stem and use it, if you like, but I generally save them for something else, like a broccoli mash or soup. 

Bell pepper strips should be the same approximate size as the cabbage. The idea is that you want each forkful to have many elements. Cutting those elements smaller helps. 

Add a Protein

Much of this salad’s appeal is the vegetable base, and even on its own, it’s complete. But tossing in some grilled or air-fried tofu, chicken breast, shrimp, or baked salmon lends a protein punch. Figure on about two ounces of protein per person, regardless of which you choose.