Description
This vibrant Thai Peanut Chicken Salad is a quick and flavorful dish combining shredded chicken, fresh vegetables, and a creamy homemade peanut dressing. Perfect for a light lunch or dinner, it offers a delicious balance of savory, sweet, and spicy flavors with the crunch of peanuts and freshness of herbs, all ready in just 10 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
Salad Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chicken (shredded)
- 2 cups cabbage (shredded)
- 1 cup carrots (shredded)
- ½ cup peanuts (chopped)
- ½ cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
- ¼ cup green onions (chopped)
- 2 Thai chili peppers or jalapenos (optional – for spice)
- 1 lime (sliced into wedges)
Thai Peanut Dressing
- 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup (or honey)
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
- ½ teaspoon fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Prepare the dressing: Add all of the ingredients for the Thai peanut dressing—creamy peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, maple syrup or honey, chili garlic sauce, fresh lime juice, and water—into a blender. Blend until you achieve a smooth, creamy consistency, ensuring all flavors are well combined.
- Combine the salad ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, toss together the shredded cooked chicken, shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, chopped peanuts, chopped cilantro, chopped green onions, and Thai chili peppers or jalapenos if using for spice. This creates a colorful and textural base for your salad.
- Dress the salad: Pour the prepared peanut dressing over the salad ingredients. Toss everything thoroughly to ensure the dressing evenly coats all components. Serve immediately with lime wedges on the side so diners can squeeze fresh lime juice over their salad to add an extra zesty brightness.
Notes
- For a vegetarian version, substitute the cooked chicken with tofu or tempeh.
- The Thai chili peppers can be omitted or replaced with milder peppers if preferred.
- Use natural peanut butter without added sugar or salt for a healthier dressing.
- To save time, use pre-shredded vegetables from the store.
- Adjust the level of chili garlic sauce to control the heat in the dressing.
- Serve immediately to enjoy the crispness of the vegetables and the fresh flavor of the dressing.
