This Thai Chicken Salad With Peanut Dressing is loaded with fresh crunchy vegetables, leftover rotisserie chicken and a spicy peanut dressing. This salad is perfect for meal prep, requires no cooking time and is on the table in just 15 minutes!
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Table of contents
Why You'll Love This Thai Chicken Salad!
I love a good salad. Not just a bit of lettuce thrown in a bowl, I love a salad with depth. This Thai Chicken Salad has layers of delicious fresh ingredients and flavors and is one of the best salads I have ever tasted. That is no exaggeration! You have the punchy peanut dressing, the crunch from the salad ingredients, and the juicy chicken. It really does have everything in one bowl.
It can be hard to get a salad to deliver on flavor, and the main culprit is the dressing you use. The peanut dressing is delicately spiced with sriracha, but you can also adjust the heat levels to suit all taste buds. It is simple to make, a great recipe to prepare ahead, and gives you that satisfying full feeling. Perfect for a quick midweek meal and definitely on my menu when it gets warmer. I can just visualize eating this on a sunny deck. Yum! Here is everything you need to know to make this easy Thai Chicken Salad.
- Simple to make and prepare - This is a great salad to make in a hurry or prepare ahead of time.
- Fresh ingredients - From the delicious dressing to the salad ingredients everything is fresh and delicious.
- Packed full of flavor - You have amazing flavors throughout the salad that all complement each other well.
- Something for everyone - This is a great recipe to get creative with. Change up the protein, add vegetables, or make it more or less spicy. I have suggested some great additions and substitutions later in this post.
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Equipment Needed
- grater or Microplane
- large and small bowl
- cutting board
- knife
Key Ingredients
Peanut butter - I used smooth peanut butter. Crunchy would work well as well. Use your preferred brand.
Soy sauce - You can enjoy a Thai dish without an element of salt in the dressing and the soy sauce works so well with the spice, fresh, and sweet flavors.
Lime juice - I always prefer to use fresh lime juice.
Honey - The honey is going to give that sweet element to the flavor and balance everything out.
Sriracha - You can adjust to taste with this, but the sriracha will give an undertone of heat and spice.
Ginger - I like to use freshly grated ginger in my dressing. Ginger is a key flavor in Thai cooking.
Garlic - I also prefer to use freshly grated garlic for this. It works so well with the ginger and gives the dressing the extra punch of flavor it needs.
Coleslaw mix or chopped cabbage - This is what helps to add the fresh crunchy salad ingredients to this dish. The crunch from the coleslaw or cabbage takes on the dressing perfectly.
Romaine lettuce - I love the freshness of romaine lettuce. You can use other types.
Rotisserie chicken - This makes this dish quick and easy to make. You could also grill or roast chicken and chop or shred for the salad
Carrots - Carrots are great in salads and they add a little sweetness.
Green onions - I like to add sliced green onions to my salad. Red onions will also work well.
Red bell pepper - I love the flavor of bell peppers. I add thin slices.
Edamame - This is a lovely addition to the Thai Salad. They will need to be shelled before adding. I get frozen shelled edamame
Dry roasted peanuts - Adds to the flavor and the texture works perfectly with all of the other fresh ingredients.
Step-By-Step Instructions
In a small bowl mix together the peanut sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, honey and sriracha. Grate the ginger and garlic into the bowl and stir into the sauce. If the peanut dressing is too thick you can add a couple of tablespoon of water to thin out.
Add the salad ingredients to a large bowl. Pour the peanut sauce over the top and use spoons to toss, covering the salad with the dressing.
Portion salad into 4 bowls to serve. Garnish with chopped peanuts.
Meal Prep And Storage
This is a great recipe for meal prep. If you want to make the Thai Chicken Salad a day or two before you can prep the salad and the dressing. Then store them both separately in the refrigerator. When ready to assemble, stir the dressing and drizzle over the salad and serve.
Storing any leftovers of this recipe is simple. Transfer them to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. Be mindful that the dressing will cause the vegetables to go a little soft. It will last in the refrigerator with the dressing for two days. However, if you can store the salad and dressing separately then it will be good for four days refrigerated.
Substitutions And Additions
- Change the protein. You could look at using a different protein instead of chicken. Cooked shrimp will work well in this salad too.
- Add extra veggies. You could add as many vegetables as you like to this recipe. Ribbons of zucchini, yellow bell pepper, red onion, or celery. Perfect if you want to omit the chicken and just create a vegetarian Thai salad.
- Make it spicy. Adding some red chili flakes will add extra heat to the salad.
- Add some fruit. Add some mango for extra sweetness. This is an ideal recipe to add some mango chunks to as it works well with all of the savory flavors.
- Add carbs. Rice or egg noodles make a great addition. If you want this to be more of a meal, then why not add some cooked noodles to the salad? You could increase the quantities slightly for the dressing so that the noodles are evenly coated.
Can I Make This Salad Without The Peanut Butter And Nuts?
Of course, some people have to think about nut allergies, so this recipe can be made using other nut butters or not using any nut products at all. If you need to leave nuts out completely use a rice wine vinegar in the dressing instead. It makes a lovely vinaigrette and still has tons of flavor.
Did you try this recipe? Please let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, and a 5- star rating. I would love to hear from you! Subscribe Here to get new recipes sent straight to your inbox!
Thai Chicken Salad
Equipment
- grater or Microplane
- large and small bowl
- cutting board
- knife
Ingredients
Peanut Sauce Dressing
- ½ cup peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon sriracha, adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 clove freshly grated garlic
Thai Chicken Salad
- 12 ounce bag coleslaw mix or chopped cabbage
- 2 cups romaine lettuce
- 3 cups rotisserie chicken, chopped
- 1 cup grated carrots
- 2 green onions, sliced
- ½ cup red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- ½ cup edamame, shelled (I get frozen shelled edamame)
- ¼ cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped
Instructions
- In a small bowl mix together the peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, honey and sriracha. Grate the ginger and garlic into the bowl and stir into the sauce. If the peanut dressing is too thick you can add a couple of tablespoon of water to thin out.
- Add the salad ingredients to a large bowl. Pour the peanut sauce over top and use spoons to toss, covering the salad with the dressing.
- Portion salad into 4 bowls to serve. Garnish with chopped peanuts.
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