Description
A vibrant and flavorful Thai Peanut Chicken Salad featuring shredded chicken, fresh vegetables, and a creamy, spicy peanut dressing. This easy-to-make salad combines crunchy cabbage, sweet carrots, and aromatic cilantro with a tangy peanut sauce, perfect for a light lunch or dinner.
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 Ingredients
- 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, chili garlic sauce, fresh lime juice, and water — to a blender. Blend until smooth to create a creamy, flavorful sauce.
- Combine the Salad Ingredients: In a large bowl, toss together the shredded cooked chicken, shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, chopped peanuts, chopped fresh cilantro, chopped green onions, and Thai chili peppers or jalapenos if using for extra spice.
- Toss with Dressing and Serve: Pour the prepared peanut dressing over the salad ingredients and toss well to combine, ensuring everything is evenly coated. Serve the salad with lime wedges on the side for squeezing juice over individual servings for an added fresh citrus flavor.
Notes
- For a vegetarian version, substitute cooked chicken with tofu or a plant-based protein.
- Adjust the amount of chili peppers or chili garlic sauce to control the spiciness to your preference.
- Use crunchy peanut butter for added texture if preferred.
- This salad is best served fresh but can be refrigerated for up to 1 day; toss before serving to redistribute the dressing.
- Peanuts can be toasted lightly to enhance flavor before adding to the salad.
