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Thai Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing
5 from 33 votes

Thai Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing

Thai Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing combines shredded baked chicken, crunchy coleslaw mix, and fresh herbs tossed in a thick, creamy peanut-based dressing with red curry paste. The dressing blends savory, tangy, and mildly spicy notes, coating the tender chicken and crisp vegetables for a textured, flavorful salad. Chilling the salad intensifies the flavors and binds the mix well.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Additional Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 40 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 281 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Asian

Ingredients

Dressing:
  • ¼ cup peanut butter I use a no-stir peanut butter spread, creamy
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce or a gluten-free alternative, reduced-sodium
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
  • 1 tablespoon garlic minced, fresh
  • 1 tablespoon ginger root minced, fresh
Salad:
  • 1 pound chicken breast shredded, from about 20 ounces of raw chicken, cooked, boneless skinless
  • 2 cups coleslaw mix 5 ounces
  • ¼ cup green onions thinly sliced
  • ½ cup cilantro chopped

Instructions

Make the dressing:
    Cup of Yum
  1. In a large salad bowl, whisk the peanut butter, water, soy sauce, and rice vinegar. Whisk for a few minutes until smooth, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula once or twice.
  2. Whisk in the red curry paste, garlic, and ginger. Check the mixture's consistency and add a bit more water if needed (start with a tablespoon). Your goal is to achieve dressing consistency. Not too thick, not too runny.
Make the salad:
  1. To the same bowl, add the shredded chicken, coleslaw mix, green onions, and chopped cilantro. Mix after each addition.
  2. Mix the salad for a few more minutes, slowly and thoroughly, until all the salad components are well-coated in the dressing and there's no excess dressing pooling on the bottom.
  3. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for one hour to allow the flavors to meld. Mix one more time, then serve.

Notes

  • For the chicken, baking at 450°F until cooked through (20-25 minutes) and shredding when cool works well for texture.
  • Refrigerating the salad for an hour before serving allows flavors to meld and improves texture.
  • No-stir peanut butter is used for convenience, but natural peanut butter works with adjustments to water amount and possible added sweetness.
  • The salad keeps in the fridge for 3-4 days when stored airtight, counting from chicken cooking date.

Nutrition Information

Serving 0.25recipe Calories 281kcal (14%) Carbohydrates 9g (3%) Protein 31g (62%) Fat 13g (20%) Saturated Fat 3g (15%) Sodium 821mg (34%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 3g (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4 servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 281

% Daily Value*

Serving 0.25recipe
Calories 281kcal 14%
Carbohydrates 9g 3%
Protein 31g 62%
Fat 13g 20%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Sodium 821mg 34%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 3g 6%

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