Try These 10 Trendy Crispy Rice Salad Recipes For A Filling Meal

Toast the cooked rice in the oven and add chicken, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, pickles and mint and then douse with a lemon-tahini dressing. One of the comments suggested adding pickled turnips and that would be so good, too.

This salad is autumn in a bowl, but can be enjoyed year-round. Cranberries, walnuts, apples, parmesan cheese and red onion mingle with shaved, slaw-like Brussels sprouts. Mix in a lemon-Dijon dressing to bring all the flavors together.

The nice thing about Kale Junkie’s salads are that there’s a flavor for every palate. A rotisserie chicken, shredded in a bag, makes a quick shortcut for protein and is tossed together with crunchy veggies like cucumber, red cabbage, peppers and even some peanuts. A sesame ginger dressing adds a sweet, salty, tangy finish.

This salad has almost a Green Goddess appeal with cucumber, avocado, mint and green onions. One thing to note with these recipes is to not overcook the rice so it’s teeth-breaking crunchy. You want the mounds rice to have a crisp exterior and a soft, tender interior. Stir frequently to gauge its crunchiness.

Is it Taco Tuesday? No it’s Crispy Rice Tuesday instead (or any day of the week you want to have it). This crispy salad is a great meal prep choice as the rice, veggies and chicken can sit in the fridge all week and not wilt.

Celebrity Chef Molly Yeh might have started the trend with her air-fried version. Honestly, the air fried rice here looks like perfection. She adds in kale, peanuts, shallots and a dressing of garlic, shallot, Thai chili, lime juice, fish sauce and sugar.

All of these salads seem to be a nod to Nam Khao, a Lao appetizer. In this version, instead of baking, the rice is formed into patties, fried and then sprinkled over the salad.

Now that you know that basics of a rice salad, there are other recipes to expand on it. Here, crispy couscous takes the place of the rice and toss with cucumber, radish, dill, mint and feta. You can also crisp quinoa or any other grain you choose.

If you want more protein, use lentils instead of rice for the crispy topping. This is a hearty salad with kale, olives, almonds and feta cheese with a lemony tahini dressing. Chickpeas would be another great choice.