Asian Sesame Chicken Couscous Salad (Printable)

Chewy pearl couscous with rotisserie chicken in savory sesame-soy dressing, topped with crisp cucumber and fresh herbs.

# What You Need:

→ Couscous Salad

01 - 1 cup pearl couscous
02 - 2 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth
03 - 2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded
04 - 1 large cucumber, halved, seeded, and thinly sliced
05 - 2 scallions, thinly sliced
06 - 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
07 - 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

→ Sesame-Soy Dressing

08 - 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
09 - 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
10 - 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
11 - 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
12 - 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
13 - 1 garlic clove, minced
14 - 1 teaspoon sriracha or chili sauce (optional)
15 - 1 tablespoon canola or sunflower oil

# Steps:

01 - In a medium saucepan, bring water or chicken broth to a boil. Stir in pearl couscous, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 8-10 minutes until tender. Drain excess liquid and spread couscous on a baking sheet to cool quickly.
02 - In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey, ginger, garlic, chili sauce if using, and neutral oil until well combined.
03 - In a large bowl, combine cooled couscous, shredded chicken, cucumber, scallions, and cilantro. Drizzle with sesame-soy dressing and toss gently to coat all ingredients evenly.
04 - Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over the salad and toss once more to distribute.
05 - Serve immediately at room temperature or chill for 30 minutes for a colder salad.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in under 30 minutes, which means weeknight dinners suddenly feel intentional instead of rushed.
  • The sesame-soy dressing is so good you'll find yourself making extra just to have on hand for other vegetables.
  • It tastes even better the next day when the flavors have gotten to know each other, making it perfect for meal prep without feeling like a chore.
02 -
  • If you don't seed and halve your cucumber, the salad will weep liquid and become soggy within an hour—I learned this after ruining an entire batch meant for a picnic.
  • Never skip the cooling step for the couscous; warm couscous will wilt the cilantro and create a mushy mess, but cooled couscous stays light and has real texture.
03 -
  • Make the dressing in a jar instead of a bowl so you can shake it up right before serving—the emulsion stays better, and you can store it for days if needed.
  • Toast your own sesame seeds if you have time, and buy them from a store with good turnover so you know they're fresh and fragrant instead of stale and flat.
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