I’m telling y’all right now, I’ll be making this Thai Chicken Salad all Spring and Summer long (and honestly, maybe beyond that too). It’s got such a great mix of textures and flavors, is high in protein but low in carbs, and is full of good-for-you veggies. The salad is dressed in a peanut dressing that’s creamy, sweet, and just a hint spicy – it would be good on just about anything (like these peanut noodles).
This salad is also super simple and a great meal prep option. You can make a big batch of dressing and salad and break it up throughout the week. You could also top it with shrimp, beef, tofu, etc. It’s super customizable (and dang delicious) – hope you love it too!
Making Thai Chicken Salad
This salad doesn’t really require any cooking aside from your chicken (or whichever protein option you choose). Otherwise, you’ll just chop, mix, toss it all together, and enjoy!
The components of the salad are:
- Chicken (or beef, shrimp, tofu, etc), chopped into bite-sized pieces
- Shredded cabbage/carrot as your base (I buy bagged coleslaw mix which is already chopped and includes carrot + cabbage already)
- Red pepper, chopped
- Cucumber, peeled, seeds removed, chopped
- Fresh mango (I buy frozen mango chunks and let them defrost in the fridge overnight and then drain off any excess liquid. It’s easier than wrestling with a fresh mango)
- Avocado, diced
- Green onion, chopped
- Mint, chopped, for garnish
- Peanuts, chopped, for garnish
Simply toss everything together in a big bowl, reserving the mint and peanuts as garnish. If you plan to make these ahead of time, I recommend keeping the peanuts on the side until you’re ready to eat so they retain their crunch.
Healthy Peanut Dressing
The real star of this Thai Chicken Salad may just be the peanut dressing. It’s full of flavor (but a healthier alternative to a traditional peanut dressing).
To make it, you’ll need:
- Seasoned rice wine vinegar, which is a hint sweeter than regular rice wine vinegar. If you use regular, add a little agave nectar for sweetness.
- Soy sauce (I use reduced sodium or coconut aminos)
- Fresh ginger, grated
- Fresh garlic, minced
- Powdered peanut butter, which is lower in fat and thus lower in calories and WW points than regular peanut butter
- Sriracha for a little kick
Mix it all up and store it in an airtight container until you’re ready to use it!
Thai Chicken Salad
Equipment
- Cutting Board
- Large Bowl
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
- 8 cups coleslaw mix or chopped cabbage/carrot
- 2 cups cucumbers peeled, seeds removed, chopped
- 1 cup red pepper diced
- 1 cup avocado diced
- 1 cup mango diced
- 3/4 cup green onion chopped
- 1/4 cup mint diced, for garnish
- 1/2 cup peanuts chopped, for garnish
- 1.5 lb chicken breast
- 7 tbsp seasoned rice wine vinegar if using regular, add 1/2 tsp agave
- 1 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
- 4 tbsp powdered peanut butter
- 1.5 tbsp ginger root grated
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp sriracha
Instructions
- Season and cook chicken (or protein of choice) fully. I use salt, pepper, garlic powder, and powdered ginger to season and then air fry it at 375 for ~14-15 minutes.
- Chop all salad ingredients. Combine all ingredients and mix together, reserving mint and peanuts for topping.
- Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk together to combine fully.
- Toss salad in dressing, top with peanuts and mint, and enjoy!
2 thoughts on “Thai Chicken Salad”
This salad is a must try – so fresh and flavorful. I made it two ways – one w the air fried chicken and then I had leftovers without chicken and served w rice and chicken katsu. This will definitely be a staple salad in my house from now on and the peanut sauce is everything.
Made this for lunches. Love the dressing great PB taste and has a nice vinegar flavor. Very easy to make and filled with lots veggies. This will for sure become a lunch staple.