Thai-Style Chicken and Quinoa Salad
User Reviews
5
Thai-Style Chicken and Quinoa Salad
Description
The Thai-Style Chicken and Quinoa Salad blends cooked quinoa as the hearty base with protein from cooked chicken and freshness from chopped vegetables including carrots, red pepper, edamame, and green onions. Roasted peanuts and fresh cilantro add texture and herbal notes. The salad is dressed with a sauce combining sweet chili sauce, rice vinegar, creamy coconut milk, brown sugar, peanut butter, garlic, lime juice, and ginger, producing a sweet, tangy, and mildly pungent flavor profile.
The quinoa is cooked ideally in low-sodium chicken broth for added depth. Once cooled, it is mixed thoroughly with the sauce and combined with the salad ingredients. The dish's texture ranges from tender quinoa and chicken to crisp vegetables and crunchy peanuts, creating an interesting bite. It can be enjoyed warm, room temperature, or chilled according to preference.
This salad works well as a light lunch or dinner option and utilizes leftover cooked chicken effectively. The ingredients and dressing are flexible: amounts can be adjusted based on taste, and frozen edamame is acceptable once thawed. The combination of creamy dressing, fresh herbs, crunchy elements, and protein makes this salad filling without being heavy.
Ingredients
Salad:
- 1 ½ cups quinoa rinsed well, uncooked
- 2 cups chicken cooked
- ½ cup carrot chopped
- ½ cup edamame shelled
- ½ cup red pepper chopped
- 4 green onions chopped
- ½ cup peanuts chopped; roasted
- ½ cup cilantro freshly chopped
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Sauce:
- 4 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons coconut milk canned
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoons peanut butter creamy
- 2 garlic finely minced, cloves
- 1 lime about 2 tablespoons, juiced
- Pinch ground ginger
Instructions
- Prepare quinoa according to package directions. I usually cook quinoa in low-sodium chicken broth: 1 cup quinoa to 1 1/2 cups liquid.
- While quinoa is cooking, combine all of the sauce ingredients together in a liquid measure and whisk to combine (or pulse in a blender). When the quinoa finishes cooking, scoop it into a large bowl. Stir in the sauce and mix well. Stir in the chicken, carrots, edamame, red pepper, green onions, peanuts and cilantro. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm, room temperature or chilled.
Notes
- Use leftover cooked chicken or grilled chicken for convenience and flavor.
- Frozen edamame can be thawed and shelled if fresh is unavailable.
- Ingredient amounts can be adjusted based on personal taste preferences.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 6servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1 Serving | |
| Calories | 396kcal | 20% |
| Carbohydrates | 43g | 14% |
| Protein | 23g | 46% |
| Fat | 15g | 23% |
| Saturated Fat | 3g | 15% |
| Cholesterol | 35mg | 12% |
| Sodium | 260mg | 11% |
| Fiber | 6g | 24% |
| Sugar | 10g | 20% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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