Thai Peanut Chicken Salad (Quick No-Cook Recipe)

Thai Peanut Chicken Salad

Shredded chicken, crisp cabbage slaw, red and green bell pepper, and chopped peanuts are tossed in a creamy peanut-lime dressing. Cooked or rotisserie chicken makes this Thai-inspired salad a no-cook meal that takes about 20 minutes to assemble. The key is to thin the dressing gradually: it should coat the chicken and vegetables without collecting in the bottom of the bowl.

Ingredients

For the Salad

• 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded or chopped into bite-size pieces (about 12 ounces/340g)
• 6 cups coleslaw mix with green cabbage, purple cabbage, and carrots (about 12 ounces/340g)
• 1 medium red bell pepper, diced (about 150g)
• 1 medium green bell pepper, diced (about 150g)
• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped (about 70g)

For the Peanut Dressing

• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (about 85g)
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 small garlic clove, finely grated or minced
• 2 to 4 tablespoons water, as needed

Optional: Add 2 thinly sliced scallions or 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro when serving. For heat, whisk 1 to 2 teaspoons sriracha or chili crisp into the dressing, to taste.

How to Make Thai Peanut Chicken Salad

1. Whisk the dressing: In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil, and garlic until smooth. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dressing pours easily but still clings to a spoon. Taste and adjust the lime juice or soy sauce if needed.
2. Prepare the salad: Shred or chop the cooked chicken into spoonable pieces and dice both bell peppers.
3. Combine: Put the chicken, coleslaw mix, and peppers in a large mixing bowl. Add most of the chopped peanuts, saving a small handful for the top.
4. Dress and toss: Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until the chicken and vegetables are visibly coated. If the dressing is too thick to distribute, whisk in a little more water. It should coat the salad without leaving a large pool at the bottom.
5. Serve: Transfer to a serving bowl. Scatter the reserved peanuts over the top, add scallions or cilantro if using, and serve promptly.

How to Adjust the Peanut Dressing

Peanut butter varies in thickness, so use the dressing’s texture rather than a fixed amount of water as your guide. If it becomes too thin, whisk in a little more peanut butter. Taste before tossing: a little more lime juice can brighten a dressing that tastes heavy, while soy sauce adds savory seasoning.

Easy Ingredient Swaps

If you don’t have bagged coleslaw mix, use shredded green and purple cabbage with shredded carrots. Tamari can replace soy sauce; check the label if you need a gluten-free product. Maple syrup can replace honey.

For a peanut-avoiding adaptation, use sunflower-seed butter in the dressing and sunflower seeds instead of peanuts, if appropriate for the eater’s needs. The flavor and dressing thickness will change, so add water gradually.

Make-Ahead and Storage

For make-ahead servings, refrigerate the chicken and vegetables, dressing, and peanuts in separate covered containers. Toss only what you plan to serve, adding the dressing and peanuts just before eating.

Dressed cabbage gradually softens, and the peanuts lose crunch, so leftovers will be less crisp. No reheating is needed. Do not freeze the assembled salad.

Nutrition

Approximate nutrition per serving, based on 4 main-course servings: 450 calories, 39g protein, 24g fat, and 24g carbohydrates. Per 100g: about 140 calories, 12g protein, 7g fat, and 7g carbohydrates. Values vary with the chicken, peanut butter, and other ingredients used.