This Thai chicken salad is crunchy, colorful, and tossed with a creamy peanut dressing. It’s easy to make ahead and holds up beautifully for lunches throughout the week. Shredded rotisserie chicken, crisp romaine and cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, cilantro, and peanuts create a fresh, satisfying salad with bold Thai-inspired flavor.
I made it for sandwiches, then ended up eating it straight from the bowl. It’s creamy without being heavy, which is hard to pull off.
- Chris K.
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Bailey's Thoughts ...
Thursday night is chaos.
Three kids. Three schedules. Busy sports night. Nobody eats at the same time.
This crunchy Thai chicken salad solved it.
I tossed rotisserie chicken, cabbage, romaine, carrots, and bell pepper into a huge bowl and portioned it into six salads. Peanuts went on top. Crunchy cabbage, cold shredded chicken, salty peanuts, and a creamy peanut sauce that hits sweet, salty, and limey all at once.
Full disclosure: my youngest two will absolutely not eat this. I set aside some chicken and made them simple romaine salads with ranch. They added fruit and a cheese stick and were perfectly happy.
Cabbage is the secret weapon. It stays crisp in the fridge long after lettuce would give up. The extras became lunch for the next few days. Joe took one to work. I ate mine at 3pm instead of my usual chips and guacamole.
-Bailey
Ingredients and Substitutions
Rotisserie chicken: Any cooked shredded chicken can replace it. Leftover grilled or baked chicken is great, and even canned chicken will do in a pinch.
Purple cabbage: Napa cabbage, green cabbage or a bag of coleslaw mix are easy swaps.
Romaine: Butter lettuce or iceberg are good alternatives.
Carrots: I usually buy the pre-shredded carrots from the produce section. If you don’t have them, thinly sliced sugar snap peas or extra bell pepper add similar crunch.
Bell pepper: Try thinly sliced cucumber or snap peas.
Cilantro: If you’re not a fan, skip it or substitute sliced green onions or fresh mint.
Peanuts: Cashews or sliced almonds are easy swaps. For a nut-free option, use sunflower seeds or crispy wonton strips.
Peanut butter: Almond butter or sunflower seed butter can be used instead.
Soy sauce: Tamari or coconut aminos can be used instead.
Lime juice: Rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar can replace it.
Honey: Maple syrup can be used in equal amounts. Brown sugar also works. Use about 2 teaspoons brown sugar for every 1 tablespoon honey and add a splash of warm water to help it dissolve.
Why this works for our house.
My 15-year-old, Cooper, often gets home from school when nobody is here. Twenty minutes later he’s back out the door for soccer practice. If something like this is waiting in the fridge, he grabs a container and takes it with him.
Teenagers are not going to assemble a salad.
If food is already portioned into containers, my family eats it. If there’s a pot in the fridge that requires scooping something out or putting it on a plate, they won’t touch it. I realize that’s a little ridiculous, but it’s true.
I’ve also lost a glass container or two sending food out the door this way, so these disposable containers might be a better option.
Instructions
- Make the peanut sauce. Add the peanut butter, olive oil, water, honey, lime juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add water as needed
- Toss the vegetables. In a large bowl, combine the romaine, cabbage, bell pepper, carrots, and cilantro. Toss gently until the vegetables are evenly mixed.
- Add the chicken. Stir diced chicken into the salad, or arrange sliced chicken on top if you prefer to serve it that way.
- Finish and serve. Drizzle with peanut sauce and a little ranch dressing if desired, then finish with a squeeze of fresh lime before serving.
Time Saving Tip
Use coleslaw mix as the base. When you're short on time, replace the cabbage and carrots with a bag of coleslaw mix. It creates the same crunchy base for the Thai chicken salad with almost no chopping.
A few helpful notes.
Use rotisserie chicken. Shredded rotisserie chicken keeps this salad fast and flavorful. Leftover grilled or baked chicken works too.
Slice the vegetables thin. Thin cabbage, bell pepper, and carrots give the salad the best texture and make it easier to eat.
Wait to add the dressing. If you're prepping ahead, keep the peanut sauce separate and add it right before eating so the vegetables stay crisp.
Add the peanuts when portioning. I sprinkle them on top of each container. They soften slightly in the fridge, but I still like the texture and it means the crunch is already there.
Ranch is delicious here. A small drizzle added at the same time as the peanut sauce makes the dressing extra creamy and balances the spice.
Nut-Free: Skip the peanuts and use sunflower seeds or crispy wonton strips instead.
Gluten-Free: Use tamari, liquid aminos or gluten-free soy sauce in the peanut sauce.
Meal Prep: This salad keeps well for several days in the refrigerator if the dressing is stored separately.
Storage
Refrigerate: Store the salad base and peanut dressing separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days. Keeping the dressing separate helps the vegetables stay crisp.
Freeze: This salad does not freeze well. The romaine, cabbage, and other vegetables lose their texture and become watery once thawed.
Reheat: No reheating is needed. Toss the salad with the peanut dressing just before serving and finish with peanuts and a squeeze of lime for the best texture and flavor.
FAQs: Thai chicken salad.
It can be adjusted easily. The red pepper flakes add mild heat, but you can reduce or omit.
This salad works well as a complete meal, but also pairs nicely with jasmine rice, rice noodles, or fresh fruit for a larger meal.
Related
Looking for other recipes like Thai chicken salad? Try these:
- Arugula Spinach Salad with Chicken and Lemon Vinaigrette
- Creamy 3 Ingredient Chicken Salad (Easy Recipe)
- Easy Chick-Fil-A Kale Crunch Salad Recipe (copycat)
- Healthy Chicken Pad Thai (Easy Recipe)
- Healthy Air Fryer Egg Rolls (with Oven Directions Too!)
- Quick Korean Beef Bowls
- 20-Minute Bourbon Honey Chicken (Easy Recipe)
- Shrimp Egg Roll In A Bowl (Easy 20 Minute Recipe)
Recipe
Crunchy Thai Chicken Salad wit Peanut Dressing
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 salads 1x
Description
This Thai chicken salad is crunchy, colorful, and tossed with a creamy peanut dressing. It’s easy to make ahead and holds up beautifully for lunches throughout the week.
Ingredients
Thai Peanut Sauce
- ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
- ½ tablespoon garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (more to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Salad
- 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded (about 3–4 cups meat)
- 1 small head romaine lettuce, shredded
- ½ head purple cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- ¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
- Ranch dressing, for serving (optional but highly recommended)
- ¼ cup peanuts, chopped
- Lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
Make the peanut sauce. Add peanut butter, olive oil, water, honey, lime juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, blend in water 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches your preferred consistency.
Prepare the salad base. In a large bowl combine romaine, cabbage, bell pepper, carrots, cilantro, and shredded chicken. Toss gently to combine. This mixture becomes the base of the salads and keeps well in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Serve. Divide the salad base between bowls and top with chopped peanuts. Drizzle with peanut sauce and a little ranch dressing (optional but highly recommended), then finish with a squeeze of fresh lime.
Meal prep tip. For the best texture, store the salad base, peanut sauce, and ranch dressing separately. Assemble individual bowls when ready to eat so the vegetables stay crisp. The salad base keeps well for several days and makes an easy lunch throughout the week.
Notes
Slice the vegetables thin. Thin cabbage, bell pepper, and carrots give the salad the best texture and make it easier to eat.
Wait to add the dressing. If you're prepping ahead, keep the peanut sauce separate and add it right before eating so the vegetables stay crisp.
Add the peanuts when portioning. I sprinkle them on top of each container. They soften slightly in the fridge, but I still like the texture and it means the crunch is already there.
Ranch is delicious here. A small drizzle added at the same time as the peanut sauce makes the dressing extra creamy and balances the spice.
Nut-Free: Skip the peanuts and use sunflower seeds or crispy wonton strips instead.
Gluten-Free: Use tamari, liquid aminos or gluten-free soy sauce in the peanut sauce.
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. Values may vary depending on the specific ingredients and brands used. For the most accurate results, calculate the nutrition using the exact ingredients you use in the recipe.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Category: Salad
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: Thai
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 salad serving (includes 2 tablespoon peanut dressing)
- Calories: 353
- Sugar: 11 g
- Sodium: 245.8 mg
- Fat: 19.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 20.3 g
- Protein: 27.2 g
- Cholesterol: 62.5 mg
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