The Best Thai Chicken Salad Recipe
I’ve always been a big fan of Thai food. The simplicity and freshness of the ingredients just can’t be beat! This recipe is a great example that eating healthy truly can be delicious. This salad isn’t going to leave you hungry, that’s for sure. It’s packed with delicious ingredients and a hearty peanut butter dressing! I have a feeling you’ll need to add it to your weekly dinner rotation. This is also a great recipe to serve as part of a spread like a BBQ or potluck.
Ingredients
For the dressing:
Lime juice – I always prefer to use fresh lime juice whenever possible. Olive oil – Peanut, safflower, sunflower, avocado, or vegetable oils will also work. Soy sauce – I like to use low-sodium soy sauce to make sure the recipe doesn’t end up too salty. Honey – Make sure the type of honey you use isn’t too thick so it’s easy to mix into the dressing. Peanut butter – I used smooth peanut butter but crunchy will work too. Fish sauce – While this ingredient is pretty strong, it is often used in Thai salads in small amounts and compliments the flavors well. Red pepper flakes – You can use extra sliced chilis instead of chili flakes for more heat. Garlic chili sauce – Use any type of hot sauce you like best or you can leave it out if you aren’t a fan of spice.
For the salad:
Carrots – I like to buy bags of pre-shredded carrots to make prep faster. Green papaya – This simply means an unripe papaya. We want the papaya to be nice and firm and shreddable. Cucumber – Make sure to remove the seeds from your cucumber so you don’t end up with too much moisture. Bok choy – 2 or 3 small bok choy should give you enough for this recipe. Sliced spinach or Swiss chard will work as well. Red chili pepper – Get yourself some small Thai red chilis if you can find them. You can remove the seeds to turn the heat down a bit. Chicken – I used chicken breasts for this recipe. They’ll need to be cooked and shredded. Mint – Find yourself fresh mint! This is such a great game-changing salad ingredient. Chop the mint nice and small. Slivered almonds – You can also use peanuts. Green cabbage – Red cabbage will also work. You can shred the cabbage by hand with a knife or use a mandoline.
What Type of Chicken Should I Use?
If you can shred it up, it will work! I picked up a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken at the grocery store for this recipe. I find that rotisserie chickens are extremely tender and will shred up with no problem. If you have a pressure cooker, you can also throw a couple chicken breasts in there with a cup of water or broth. Cook the chicken for 5 minutes on high pressure. Baking them will also work; you can season them however you like or leave them plain! They’ll soak up all that delicious flavor in the salad dressing.
What Else Can I Mix Into My Salad?
This slaw-like salad is very versatile! You can add any of your favorite flavors to personalize this recipe how you like it best. Give these ideas a try:
Cooked cold rice noodles Crushed instant ramen noodles Mango or pineapple Pepitas Cashews Celery Cilantro Basil Red or green onion Bell peppers
You can also leave out the chicken and fish sauce to make this recipe vegetarian. Add some extra veggies to make up for the missing chicken!
How to Make Thai Chicken Salad
Can I Leave Out the Peanut Butter?
I know that some of you will need to worry about peanut allergies and that’s totally okay! Feel free to use any of your favorite nut butters in its place. If that’s not an option, you can leave the nut butter out completely and use a splash of rice vinegar to make a delicious vinaigrette for this salad.
Can I Make This Salad Ahead?
If you want to plan ahead and make this salad a day or two before you need it, make sure to leave the dressing off until right before you serve the salad. Take the dressing out of the fridge about an hour before you need it and let it come to room temperature. This will make sure the honey and peanut butter have a chance to warm up a bit and make everything much easier to toss.
Leftovers
If you anticipate leftovers, I would leave the dressing off the salad and toss as needed. The veggies tend to get soggy after a day sitting with the dressing and are not as appetizing. This Thai chicken salad will last 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
What to Serve With Thai Chicken Salad
Looking to make a big takeout fakeout spread? Thai cooking is so simple and fresh. Give some of these a try:
Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps Pad Thai Thai Red Chicken Curry Pad See Ew Easy Thai Steak Salad Asian Style Pepper Steak
More Delicious Salad Recipes To Try:
Asian Chopped Chicken Salad Crunchy Asian Salad Avocado Chicken Salad Easy Coleslaw Recipe Mexican Street Corn Slaw The Best Chicken Salad Recipe Easy Tossed Salad
Recipe originally shared August 2013.
title: “Thai Chicken Salad” ShowToc: true date: “2024-11-11” author: “Glen Morgan”
Be sure to try my Mango Salsa and my Ambrosia Salad recipes next!
Thai Chicken Salad
This incredible Thai Chicken Salad has to be one of the most refreshing, flavorful salad recipes you can possibly make. The homemade peanut dressing steals the show, it’s got the perfect balance of tangy, savory flavor with a hint of sweetness. It coats the crispy cabbage and shredded chicken like no other, with delicious bites of bell peppers, carrots, slivered almonds, peanuts, green onions, and more! Bonus: It’s super easy to make, especially with a few shortcuts, like using Coleslaw mix for the cabbage/carrots and leftover or rotisserie chicken!
How to Make It
Note: This is an overview. See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions. Combine dressing ingredients and chill until ready to serve. Prepare salad ingredients and toss together in a large bowl. Drizzle with desired amount of dressing and toss to coat. Serve!
Storage
Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 2 days, but note that this salad is best when served fresh.
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Mini Food Processor– I have this one, it takes up very little space and is perfect for making salad dressings! Large Serving Bowl with Lid and Serving Tongs Cutting Boards My Favorite Chef Knife
