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Thai chicken crunch salad with sliced grilled chicken, cabbage, carrots, red pepper, cilantro, peanuts, and creamy peanut dressing with lime wedges.

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Crunchy Thai Chicken Salad wit Peanut Dressing

Recipe by Bailey Sissom

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. 

  • Total Time20 minutes
  • Yield6 salads 1x

Ingredients

Scale

Thai Peanut Sauce

  • 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
  • 1/2 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more to taste)
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Salad

  • 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded (about 3–4 cups meat)
  • 1 small head romaine lettuce, shredded
  • 1/2 head purple cabbage, thinly sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 cup shredded carrots
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
  • Ranch dressing, for serving (optional but highly recommended)
  • 1/4 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 Tbsp 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

Find it online: https://www.simplysissom.com/thaichoppedchickensalad/