Thai Peanut Chicken Salad

This Thai Peanut Chicken Salad recipe is loaded with crunchy veggies, tender chicken, and a delicious peanut butter salad dressing. It’s simple, healthy, and full of bold Asian flavors that make it the best choice for an easy dinner.

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Why this is the best Thai peanut chicken salad recipe

This is a healthy chicken salad recipe. This peanut butter chicken salad is made from mostly whole, healthy ingredients, and it's loaded with veggies and lean protein which makes it a good fit for almost any diet plan.

This is a great meal prep recipe. It makes a LOT of salad, so as long as you've used cabbage (and not lettuce), you can mix it up on the weekend, portion it into containers for the week, and eat it for lunch all week long.

This recipe tastes amazing! The peanut butter salad dressing is perfect, and this one has all the right elements for a delicious peanut sauce. From the tartness of the lime juice to the umami of the soy sauce and the creamy rich peanut butter, these ingredients come together like magic.

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This is a simple recipe. It has more than 5 ingredients, but the ingredients are very common and easy to find. You probably already have most of them in your pantry.

This recipe is very easy. There are a few steps, but nothing is complicated or requiring special techniques. Whisk together the peanut salad dressing ingredients, toss the salad, pour on the dressing. That's all there is to it.

This salad is a whole meal. It's very hearty and filling, and it contains lots of veggies and lean protein, so you really don't need a side dish, especially if you serve the salad with crackers or on a sandwich roll.

This recipe is allergy friendly and good for special diets. As written, this recipe is gluten-free (check your soy sauce), dairy-free, egg-free, and tree nut-free (it contains peanuts). This recipe is also low carb, high protein, bariatric-friendly, and keto-friendly. As always, please check the labels on your unique ingredients to ensure they fit with your dietary needs and preferences.

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What you'll need to make peanut butter chicken salad

Equipment

• Garlic press - I use my garlic press almost every time I cook. It makes fresh garlic cloves into a thick paste with no big chunks of garlic, and that paste is easy to distribute into the soup. If you don't have a garlic press, mince the garlic as small as you can with a sharp knife, but understand that there are probably going to be some chunks of garlic in your soup. You're going to cook them, so it's not the end of the world, but it will be more pleasant with paste than with chunks.
• Microplane grater - You'll need this to mince the fresh ginger root. If you have squeeze ginger, you don't need it.
• Citrus juicer - This is to juice the lime. If you don't have one of these little gadgets and don't want to get one, you can search on YouTube for how to juice a lime. I'm sure you'll find something. But do consider buying the press as it gets more juice out of the lime than any other method I've ever tried.
• Instant read thermometer - You will only need this if your chicken is uncooked. Chicken must be cooked to an internal temperature of 165ºF.

Ingredients

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See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.

Peanut butter dressing ingredients

• Creamy peanut butter - This is the base of your peanut salad dressing. I personally use Jif, but any brand is fine. Your salad dressing is going to taste pretty much just like your peanut butter, so go with what you like.
• Water - You could use another liquid here, like chicken broth, but water is free and easy and does the trick. You just need a liquid to thin the peanut butter and make it pourable.
• Gluten-free soy sauce - You won't use a lot of this, but it is important to round out the flavors and bring a salty, umami note to the salad dressing.
• Honey - For sweetness. Feel free to use a keto or sugar-free honey if you prefer.
• Sesame oil - Sesame oil has a VERY strong flavor, so don't go overboard when you add it! Normally, I am heavy-handed with most ingredients, but too much sesame oil will ruin your salad dressing.
• Grated fresh ginger - You can use squeeze ginger or grate a fresh ginger root. I used to go the fresh route but recently discovered squeeze ginger and now use it exclusively. It's so much more convenient than trying to keep a whole root healthy and firm.
• Fresh garlic - I may use squeeze ginger, but I always always always use fresh, whole cloves of garlic, and I press them with a garlic press. I am and always will be a garlic snob. A bulb of 10ish garlic cloves costs less than $1, and you will only need one clove in this recipe.
• Fresh lime juice - I'm also a citrus snob. You really must squeeze a lime. They are also very cheap, and there is a huge difference between bottled lime juice and fresh lime juice.
• Salt & pepper to taste - I personally don't use salt and pepper in my peanut salad dressing, but you can add them if you want to.

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Thai chicken salad ingredients

• Asian chopped salad mix or coleslaw mix - This is a shredded cabbage mix that usually contains carrots and maybe some other veggies.
• Green onion - I use the white parts and the green parts and chop them up.
• Shredded chicken - Feel free to use chicken breasts or chicken thighs, as you like. If using canned chicken, use three large cans, drained and shredded with a fork. If using rotisserie chicken, shred the chicken as you pull it off the bones, and use three cups of shredded chicken. If using raw chicken breasts or thighs, start with 2 pounds of chicken, cook it to 165ºF using your desired method, then shred it and measure three cups.
• Fresh basil - You could also use fresh cilantro.
• Chopped peanuts - You won't actually mix these into the salad; they will be garnish on top.

How to make crunch chicken salad with peanut dressing

1. Prepare the dressing first so it can rest while you're mixing the salad. Add the peanut butter, water, soy sauce, lime juice, and honey to a medium bowl. 
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2. Whisk salad dressing ingredients together so the peanut butter loosens up and becomes pourable. Add the sesame oil, ginger, and garlic and mix well.  Taste and add salt and/or pepper as desired. Set aside.
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3. Add Asian cabbage mix and green onions to a large bowl and toss together. 
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4. Add the chicken and fresh basil and toss until evenly distributed. 
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5. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well so that the salad is evenly coated.  Add the chopped peanuts to the top of the salad and serve.
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Variations & substitutions

You can add a tablespoon of Thai sweet chili sauce to the dressing for a more complex flavor.

You can replace the fresh basil with fresh cilantro.

You can add some chopped red onion and/or green or red bell pepper to the salad.

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If you prefer, you can substitute shredded romaine lettuce for the cabbage blend, but you will lose the crunch factor that I think makes this salad so good. Also, if you use shredded lettuce, it will get wilted and slimy if you have leftovers, so be aware of that.

In a pinch, you can use rice vinegar in place of the lime juice in the dressing.

You can top the salad with fried wonton strips or crunchy Asian noodles, in addition to or in place of the chopped peanuts.

Cook's tips for the best Thai peanut chicken salad

You can add the dressing to a blender or food processor, and it will whip up in seconds. Or, do like I do and use a whisk. It takes a couple of minutes that way, but then I don't have to wash the food processor.

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Storing leftover chicken salad

If you've made your Thai chicken salad with cabbage, you can store leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week. If you've made it with lettuce, the lettuce will be gross and slimy in a day or less, even in an airtight container.

As long as you make it with the recommended cabbage mix, this is a great make ahead or meal prep recipe. You can mix it up on Sunday afternoon, portion it out in containers, and enjoy lunch all week.

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Try these other delicious salad recipes:

• Rotisserie Chicken and Egg Salad
• Egg and Asparagus Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette Dressing
• Steak Tostada Salad
• Creamy Macaroni Salad - Nothing crunchy in this salad!
• Simple Instant Pot Potato Salad Recipe - Nothing crunchy in this one, either!
• Leftover Turkey Salad Sandwiches
• Cucumber Pasta Salad - No mayo in this one.
• BLT Salad
• Egg and Olive Salad Sandwich
• The Best Broccoli Salad - With mayo
• Broccoli Salad with No Mayo
• Asian Ramen Noodle Salad

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