Asian Peanut Chicken Salad

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5 from 3 votes

🥗🥕🥒🙌 There’s lots of CRUNCH in this hearty salad made with bell peppers, red cabbage, lettuce, cucumber, carrots, and more! The protein-packed edamame and chicken make this salad very filling, and the creamy peanut dressing infuses the salad with layers of Asian-inspired FLAVOR! Put your leftover chicken to use with this FAST and EASY salad that's great for work lunches or as a lighter dinner idea!

Prep Time

20 mins

Servings: 4

Calories: 476 kcal

Course: Salad, Lunch, Dinner

Cuisine: Asian

Ingredients

Peanut Dressing

⅓ cup peanut butter creamy; heaping or domed cup
¼ cup honey
¼ cup sesame oil toasted
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar
1 to 2 teaspoons ground ginger or to taste
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 teaspoon black pepper or to taste, freshly ground
1 clove garlic finely minced or pressed, optional
pinch cayenne pepper optional and to taste, or dash of sriracha

Salad

2 cups chicken diced or shredded (see Notes below for chicken options, cooked
1 romaine lettuce shredded (or a 10 ounce bag hearty salad greens, head
2 cups edamame cooked according to package directions and cooled, frozen
1 cup red cabbage shredded
1 red bell pepper diced small
1 cucumber diced or sliced(peeled if desired, I remove seeds OR use an English cucumber, medium
1 carrot shredded or peeled into ribbons, large
¼ cup almonds I prefer salted, but unsalted are fine, sliced or slivered; or peanuts
2 green onions thinly sliced
3 to 4 tablespoons cilantro finely minced, fresh
2 to 3 tablespoons basil thinly sliced, fresh leaves

Instructions

Cup of Yum

Peanut Dressing - To a medium bowl, add all the ingredients for the dressing, whisk until smooth and combined, taste, and make any necessary seasoning or flavor adjustments. (i.e. more honey, more peanut butter, more salt, more sesame oil, etc.). I like my sauce on the thicker side but you can add more vinegar/honey to thin it if desired; set aside.
Salad - To a large bowl, add all the ingredients, and toss to combine.
Assembly - Pour half the dressing over the salad, and mix to coat evenly. Then, before serving, top with the remaining dressing, if desired and to taste. I love lots of dressing but some people prefer things a bit drier.
Storage - Extra peanut sauce dressing will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 1 week. Extra salad ingredients will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 3-5 days if the salad has NOT been tossed. After you toss the salad with the dressing, like with any salad, it's best consumed promptly because it gets soggier as it sits.
Make Ahead - If you're making this for an event or for a work lunch and want to mix up everything that moring to have it ready, that's fine. But I wouldn't mix it up and dress it more than about 4 hours prior to consuming.

Notes

Chicken Options - You may use any leftover cooked chicken you have on hand, including roasted chicken, baked chicken breasts, grilled chicken, or poached chicken. You can also buy a rotisserie chicken at the store and shred or dice it to use in the salad.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1serving Calories 476kcal (24%) Carbohydrates 35g (12%) Protein 29g (58%) Fat 26g (40%) Saturated Fat 4g (20%) Polyunsaturated Fat 9g (53%) Monounsaturated Fat 10g (50%) Trans Fat 0.01g (1%) Cholesterol 53mg (18%) Sodium 661mg (28%) Potassium 895mg (19%) Fiber 8g (32%) Sugar 24g (48%) Vitamin A 4559IU (91%) Vitamin C 61mg (68%) Calcium 121mg (12%) Iron 4mg (22%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 476

% Daily Value*

Serving	1serving
Calories	476kcal	24%
Carbohydrates	35g	12%
Protein	29g	58%
Fat	26g	40%
Saturated Fat	4g	20%
Polyunsaturated Fat	9g	53%
Monounsaturated Fat	10g	50%
Trans Fat	0.01g	1%
Cholesterol	53mg	18%
Sodium	661mg	28%
Potassium	895mg	19%
Fiber	8g	32%
Sugar	24g	48%
Vitamin A	4559IU	91%
Vitamin C	61mg	68%
Calcium	121mg	12%
Iron	4mg	22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.