This Thai Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing is the perfect combination of crunchy shredded vegetables, tender chicken, and a mouth watering dressing that is sure to satisfy your hunger. This coleslaw style salad combines some of my favorite Thai inspired flavors into one super special dish that is quick and easy to throw together and lasts up to three days in the fridge.
Hearty meal-sized salads are key to my weekly meal planning. This dish is really two of my favorite recipes. I combined the idea of my favorite peanut chicken recipe with the zesty coleslaw dressed with light Thai inspired flavors like lime, ginger, cilantro, and garlic.
Make this salad, because…
This Thai Chicken Salad uses Napa cabbage, red cabbage, shredded carrots, and green onion for super flavorful crunch.
The silky peanut dressing clings to the tender bits of chicken for super tasty and satisfying bites.
It is a great way to use leftovers and cut down on food waste in your kitchen.
This salad lasts for up to three days in the refrigerator with the dressing. It gets more flavorful everyday and gives you a healthy lunch option without any fuss.
Ingredients
Shredded Chicken- Thai chicken salad is a great way to use up leftover breast meat. If you don’t have leftover chicken, then you have a few choices. First, you can always grab a rotisserie chicken and shred it. You can also plan leftovers by cooking a Roasted Chicken and having it for dinner plus leftovers. You can also cook chicken breasts just for this recipe.
I usually poach chicken breasts for salads for the week. Doing this simple preparation can set me up to have salads and sandwiches during the week. The breast meat is lightly flavored and ready to take on a variety of flavors like this delicious Peanut dressing or to use in a Waldorf Chicken Salad.
Poaching chicken is very simple. Simply bring chicken broth to a simmer in a large skillet and add chicken breasts. Cook for 7 minutes and then turn the chicken over. The broth on a low simmer will cook the chicken through while adding a light flavor, and retaining moisture. Shred or dice the breast pieces and then cool in the refrigerator.
Instructions
Step 1
- In a small bowl, whisk together peanut dressing ingredients.
Step 2
- Wash and prepare vegetables for the salad.
- Combine shredded cabbage, carrots, and green onion in a large mixing bowl.
- Add chilled shredded chicken.
Step 3
- Add dressing to the coleslaw and toss. Be sure to mix it well.
- Let it sit, covered, in the fridge for 20 minutes before serving.
- Add wonton strips to the salad each time it is served.
FAQs
Napa cabbage is a type of Chinese cabbage. It is light green and has loose long leaves more like a bundle of lettuce than a tight ball like green cabbage. The leaves are extra tender and are great for fresh salads and soups.
Yes! While the green cabbage leaves are a little thicker and have a waxy texture, they taste fairly similar. If you are using cabbage in a hot dish, the green cabbage will take a bit longer to cook. For salads the green cabbage will be better if they are shredded very thin. Use the leaves deeper inside the head for more tender cabbage pieces.
Expert Tips
If you find yourself short on time you can use a bag of coleslaw mix and a rotisserie chicken to throw this salad together in just 10 minutes.
Do not add wonton strips to the salad until you are about to serve. The hearty cabbage will hold up in the fridge, but the wonton strips will not.
If you do not have fresh ginger or garlic, you can substitute ¼ teaspoon of dry ginger and ½ teaspoon of granulated garlic.
Grate the fresh garlic and ginger to get a really fine paste. The paste will integrate really well into the peanut dressing.
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📖 Recipe
Thai Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 3 Cups Chicken Breast Shredded
- 4 Cups Napa Cabbage Shredded
- 1 Cup Red Cabbage Shredded
- ½ Cup Shredded Carrots Shaved or Grated
- ¼ Cup Sliced Green Onion Chopped
- 2 Tablespoon Chopped Cilantro Chopped
- 1 Cup Wonton Strips (optional)
Peanut Dressing Ingredients
- ¼ Cup Rice Vinegar
- ¼ Cup Soy Sauce
- 3 Tablespoons Peanut Butter
- 2 Tablespoons Honey
- 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
- 1 Clove Garlic
- ½ teaspoon Ground Ginger
- 1 teaspoon Lime Juice
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together peanut dressing ingredients.
- Wash and prepare vegetables for the salad.
- Combine shredded cabbage, carrots, and green onion in a large mixing bowl.
- Add chilled shredded chicken.
- Add dressing to the coleslaw and toss. Be sure to mix it well.
- Let it sit, covered, in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before serving.
- Add wonton strips to the salad each time it is served.
Notes
- If you find yourself short on time you can use a bag of coleslaw mix and a rotisserie chicken to throw this salad together in just 10 minutes.
- Do not add wonton strips to the salad until you are about to serve. The hearty cabbage will hold up in the fridge, but the wonton strips will not.
- If you do not have fresh ginger or garlic, you can substitute ¼ teaspoon of dry ginger and ½ teaspoon of granulated garlic.
- Grate the fresh garlic and ginger to get a really fine paste. The paste will integrate really well into the peanut dressing.
Nutrition
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serena says
I'm such a fan of chicken salad. I think every time we have chicken, I plan for a bit of leftover chicken meat just for salad. Looking forward to trying this recipe, it looks delicious!
Megan says
This recipe looks so easy! And I love all the colors and 2 kinds of cabbage!
Keri Bevan says
We made this recipe and it was great! Thank you!
Cathleen says
I might want to make this recipe just for the dressing. It sounds amazing!! Bookmarked to make later this week, thanks so much for the recipe 🙂
Caitlyn Erhardt says
What a wonderful sounding recipe! Love the Thai flavor take on it and the dressing sounds wonderful.