We love this flavourful and crunchy Thai chicken salad with perfectly cooked chicken, lots of fresh vegetables, peanuts and the most delicious Thai-style creamy dressing. This simple salad is perfect for lunch, dinner or making it for the first time!
This Thai chicken salad has been repeated recently for lunch. Perfect for making tonight or in advance for tomorrow’s lunch. I love leftovers from this salad as the chicken gets better over time and can’t find lettuce. Instead, you can find hearty, crispy vegetables like cabbage, celery and peppers that will leave you crunchy for a night or two in the fridge.
The secret to the best salad is to let the chicken sit in a creamy dressing for about 20 minutes before throwing it with vegetables. As written, this turned out to be a salad worth a full dinner, but you can always skip the extra vegetables and make creamy dressing and chicken. Add it to your wrap, lettuce wrap or switch to a sandwich.
Important ingredients
Chicken: I use chicken breast in this salad, but I want to make butterflies into butterflies before baking in the oven. This means slice each chicken breast horizontally, passing through almost the whole time, opening it like a book, creating a thinner and thicker (that is, it also means cooking it right away). If you don’t want to prepare chicken like this, consider using chicken tenderloin or thin chicken breast from the store. Creamy Thai-Inspired Dressing: For this salad, we mash out a creamy chicken salad and some of our favorite Thai flavours, such as fish sauce, lime juice and sweet Thai chili sauce (I also use it to make these crab rangoon dipping sauces). Use mayonnaise as the base. You can use store-bought homemade mayonnaise or if you prefer it, you can trade it for Greek yogurt (don’t forget that yogurt is more tart). Vegetables: They hold on over time, so I love cabbage, peppers and celery (yes! celery). When slicing celery, cut into thin slices diagonally. Great for this salad (trust me). Feel free to add vegetables like carrots and jikama. Also add a substantial amount of fresh coriander to get an extra flavour. Extra: This salad is close to crunch, so I love stripping peanuts (and the cashews are great too), toasted sesame seeds and some crispy wontons into the bowl. I bought a wonton strip and only add it if I plan on eating a salad right away as the salad gets tender and gets soggy over time. So, if you’ve made this in advance, if you’re planning on enjoying the salad, put them in a separate container and put them in a separate container to keep them crispy.
How to make Thai chicken salad
This Thai chicken salad is very easy to make and I think there are some elements that you might take away with, even if you’re not making this exact salad. The first is how to cook chicken.
Chicken breasts vary dramatically in size and thickness, and usually the breasts are not uniform, making butterflies a butterfly. This means taking a knife, slice it almost from inside the middle, opening it like a book, and flattening it on a baking sheet.
Next, before baking in the oven, rub them off with toasted sesame oil and tamari. The seasonings are simple and very good! Don’t forget this technique for other Asian lean recipes and pre-cooked chicken.
Now that the chicken is cooked, I want it to cool for a few minutes and fold into a creamy dressing. Whether you make this salad or not, the following tips should be taken with you.
Adding warm chicken to the dressing will help the chicken absorb all the delicious Thai flavors from the dressing. Also pour the remaining juice on the baking sheet. It tastes great thanks to the sesame oil and tamari.
The final step is to chill the chicken for a few minutes and then toss it with crunchy sliced vegetables. delicious!
Crispy Thai Chicken Salad
Preparation
half an hour
Cook
15 minutes
total
45 min
We love this super flavorful and crunchy Thai chicken salad. Cook the chicken and make a creamy dressing from scratch. Dressing requires something creamy. My taste is mayonnaise, but if you wish, you can try plain Greek yogurt. Note that the yogurt will be a little more tart.
I write this as a perfect, dinner-worthy salad, but feel free to make a creamy chicken salad without vegetables, then use it for lettuce wraps, sandwiches or wraps with tortillas.
Make 4 servings, about 8 cups
You will need it
1 pound (450g) chicken breast
1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
3 tablespoons (42g) mayonnaise
Like May’s trick, 2 tablespoons of Thai sweet chili sauce
1 teaspoon of fish sauce
1 teaspoon of lime juice plus more meals
1 teaspoon of rice vinegar
3 tablespoons (25g) finely chopped red onion
Fresh ground black pepper with salt
Use 4 cups (280g) of fine cabbage, white cabbage, red cabbage, or combination
1 red pepper, seeds removed and sliced
3 ribs of celery, thinly sliced, about 1 cup
1/2 cup (70g) peanuts, almost chopped
2 tablespoons of chopped coriander
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, optional
Handful of crisp wonton strips, options
direction
1Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Arrange the tops with parchment paper.
2Prepare the chicken: slice each chicken breast horizontally, pass through almost the whole time, open it like a book, make it thin and thick. This “butterfly” technique ensures even cooking quickly. Scrub the chicken with 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and 1 tablespoon of tamari.
3Grill the chicken: Place butterfly and seasoned chicken on a prepared baking sheet and bake until cooked for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven, lay the tent on a sheet of foil and let it rest for 15 minutes.
4Make a dressing: Whisk 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons sweet tai chili sauce, 1 teaspoon, 1 teaspoon lime juice, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, and whisk finely chopped red onion into the bottom of a mixing bowl.
5Marinate the chicken: Dice cooked chicken into 3/4 inch pieces, add it to the bowl with dressing and gently toss until the chicken is well coated. Add the remaining liquid on the baking sheet, a pinch of salt, and pinch of pinch, throw again, and place in the fridge for at least 20 minutes or until cooled.
6Make a Thai Chicken Salad: In a large salad bowl, make 4 cups of fine cabbage, sliced peepers, 1 cup sliced celery, 1/2 cup chopped peanuts, 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, optional sesame seeds and crunchy wanton. Add a chicken salad and make sure to scrape off all the dressing. Throw well and season with salt, pepper and extra lime juice if necessary.
Adam and Joan tips
Chicken: We run chicken breasts to butterflies to promote even and fast cooking. If they are available, you can replace 1 pound of chicken tenderloin or “thin slice” chicken breast (both can skip the butterfly stage.) Storage: This salad is kept in a fridge airtight container for two days. Once it sits, the flavor gets intense and the cabbage wilt slightly (but not in a bad way). The only element of this salad that doesn’t work is the wonton strip. Nutrition facts are presumption. No wonton strips included.
Nutrition per meal
Serving size
1/4 of the recipe
/
calorie
419
/
Total fat
23.5g
/
Saturated fat
3.6g
/
cholesterol
87.1mg
/
sodium
721.8mg
/
carbohydrates
20.9g
/
Dietary fiber
5.5g
/
Total sugar
10.7g
/
protein
33.7g
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