A Thai-inspired chicken salad for those who want a salad of substance. This has loads of fresh veggies, something we love about salads, but it’s hardy enough to stand on its own. It can be a full meal which for us it is.
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Shredded cabbage, sliced bell peppers, shredded carrots, green onion, and cilantro. This is packed with veggies and shredded chicken. It’s a good one. Then it’s all tossed with a delicious peanut dressing that brings it all together. Optional but highly suggested to add chopped peanuts and crispy wonton noodles. Gotta have the crunch! Also, a good food processor is key in this recipe and will chop and shred everything quickly. A few options are here, here, and I love this one.
This is a huge salad. We use a full head of cabbage and two chicken breasts which yields about 6 full servings. I only dress the amount we are going to eat at that meal and store the rest undressed. Then I have a few Thai-inspired chicken salads for later in the week. If stored correctly, which is tightly sealed, no dressing, and in the fridge, it will hold for about 5 days. If you can’t eat this amount or don’t want to, definitely cut this in half. We have no problem finishing it all off because it’s so good!
Ingredients needed for the Thai-Inspired Chicken Salad
- Napa cabbage, shredded. You could also use a full bag of pre shredded cabbage
- Carrots
- Bell pepper – red is the best in this salad
- Cilantro
- Green onion
- 2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
- For the Dressing
- Peanut butter
- Rice vinegar
- Tamari
- Garlic
- Honey
- Sesame oil
- Ginger – fresh but dried works in a pinch
- Lime
How to make Thai-Inspired Chicken Salad
- Slice she cabbage. If you don’t have a good food processor, you can do this by hand or just buy a bag of presliced cabbage. Make sure to use the slice not shred because it will result in a watery salad.
- Shred the carrots and bell pepper or matchstick cup them by hand.
- Shred the chicken
- Chop cilantro and peanuts
- Mix the dresing.
- Add everything except the dressing to a large bowl. Toss well and combine. Add dressing to each bowl rather than the entire bowl if you’re not eating it all in one sitting.
Why we love this recipe…
- A hearty, filling salad
- Full of tons of fresh vegetables to make you feel good and stay full.
- Protein packed too!
- Easy and makes plenty of leftovers if needed.
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Tips for the Chicken Salad
- Cook your chicken ahead of time. Or you can buy a rotisserie chicken jsut shred that.
- This makes a good 6 full servings. Plan for leftovers and don’t dress the whole thing if you are going to eat some later. Cut the recipe in half if you don’t want leftovers
- Add some crunchies like peanuts and wonton noodles
- If you are using a food processor, make sure to slice the cabbage and shred the carrots and bell pepper. If you reverse these, you will end up with a watery mess. Trust me on this.
Thai-Inspired Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 1 head of cabbage, shredded food processor is easiest for this (chopping blade)
- 2 large chicken breasts, shredded
- 1 bell pepper, shredded You can use the food processor for this too
- 2 carrots, shredded You can use the food processor for this too
- 3 green onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- crispy wonton strips optional and use as much as you like
- chopped peanuts optional, about 1/4 cup
For the Dressing
- 1/4 cup Peanut butter - creamy, no sugar added
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp tamari
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- juice of 1 lime
Instructions
- Start by prepping and shredding the cabbage, bell peppers, and carrots. I find a food processor makes this super easy and fast. Then shred your chicken
- Add the cabbage, bell pepper, carrots, cilantro, and green onion to a large bowl.
- Whisk the dressing. Toss the salad with the dressing and top with crispy wonton strips and peanuts.
- Tip to only dress what you will eat. If you're planning for leftovers, just put it aside.
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