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Thai Chicken Salad


Thai Chicken Salad
On humid August evenings a hot, heavy supper doesn’t sound one bit appealing.

Any amount of cooking heats up our little house (we don’t have air conditioning).

And when Reuben has been working in the blazing sun all day, all he wants is a smoothie.
Thai Chicken Salad
A cold salad is so refreshing and satisfying, especially if it contains protein (AKA chicken).

Most of the time I’ll simply marinade chicken tenderloins and serve them on top of greens with lots of cheese and dressing.

But I wanted to branch out (and I wanted to make something yummy to share with y’all).

Thai Chicken Salad
“Would you eat this for supper if I made it?” I asked Reuben. “You probably won’t like it.” 
 
You see, Asian food isn’t his favorite (unless it’s deep fried, for which I can’t blame him). He actually tolerated it pretty well, and wouldn’t let me share it with my sister and her husband.

I really liked it. It’s my thang. 
 
As always, make sure you customize to your personal tastes. If you like a bit of heat, you could add some Sriracha to the dressing. I think that a fruit such as mangoes or peaches would be lovely. Maybe some candied almonds. Yummers. 
 

Thai Chicken Salad

An easy and delicious chicken salad recipe with Thai inspired flavors!

Course Salad
Cuisine Thai
Keyword Chicken, Peanut Butter
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 500 kcal
Author Erica Lea

Ingredients

For the Salad:

  • 6 cups shredded cabbage about half a head
  • 1 large carrot peeled and shredded
  • 2 green onions sliced on the diagonal
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro less if you don't care for cilantro
  • 1 avocado diced
  • 6 chicken tenderloins cooked with a bit of salt and cut into small pieces (about 2 cups)

For the Dressing:

  • 1/4 cup peanut butter
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice + a bit extra
  • 1 tablespoon evaporated cane juice more if you're using unsweetened peanut butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Instructions

  1. Toss all of the salad ingredients except for the chicken together gently in a large mixing bowl.
  2. For the dressing, place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

To assemble:

  1. Pour a bit of the salad dressing over the chicken, squeeze in a bit of lime juice and toss to combine. Toss chicken with salad ingredients. Pour dressing over salad and toss one more time. Serve immediately. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator (it will last for MAYBE a day, probably less).
  2. DO AHEAD: Toss together all of the salad ingredients except for the avocado and chicken. Make the dressing. When ready to serve, mix in the avocado, chicken and dressing.

Recipe Notes

adapted from Nature Box

Recipe Rating




Erica Lea

Tuesday 23rd of May 2017

I usually choose "evaporated cane juice" in recipes where a more nutrient-dense sweetener would affect the texture of the final product. For example, in a cake that is supposed to be light and fluffy, I like to use organic cane sugar because it's a bit less processed than regular GMO white sugar. It's not perfect, but it's a better choice. In this recipe you could definitely use honey or maple syrup instead of the evaporated cane juice - that's just what I happened to use at the time. Another alternative to evaporated cane juice is rapadura or sucanat, both of which retain more of the minerals from the cane juice. They have a stronger flavor than evaporated cane juice, so they don't work as well in some recipes.

Anonymous

Tuesday 23rd of May 2017

About Evaporated cane juice. While touted as a more "natural form" of sugar, cane juice sugar is simply another form of granulated sugar. This sugar is technically less processed than regular granulated sugar but from a nutritional standpoint there is little difference.

Anonymous

Tuesday 9th of September 2014

Where would I find evaporated cane juice? I live in remote Texas, what would be a good substitute if I am unable to find it?

Erica Lea

Monday 18th of August 2014

Ooooh, that salad sounds so fancy! I had to look up what Maldon and olivio are. :) The salad you linked to sounds yummy - I like the addition of fish sauce. Though Reuben would probably balk at the idea. :D And the mint sounds very refreshing.

Erica Lea

Monday 18th of August 2014

Hope you guys enjoy, Rebecca! :)