Tender chicken, finely chopped lettuce, Asian cabbage and other veggies, tossed together and topped with crunchy peanuts and thick, creamy Thai peanut dressing. It’s the perfect dose of freshness that we’ve been needing after all of those winter meals. Dive into this Crunchy Thai Chicken Salad, and you can taste the freshness of summer in each bite.
Happy Memorial Day weekend! It has already been a very fun weekend around here! We’re trying to make the most out of our very last weekend as a family of FOUR! Lots of fun, family time, date nights, spoiling our kids, etc. Andrew and I had a great date night out on Friday! Yesterday we headed to the zoo for a little family fun, and after all of that walking around, Andrew treated me to a very relaxing and much needed pedicure. Today we had a great family fun day outside in the yard, playing and goofing around, and then after nap time, headed down to the pool for some swimming and more fun in the sun. Andrew even surprised me again today with two dozen gorgeous pink roses! What a great weekend so far!
With all of the blue skies and warm weather, I can’t wait to start enjoying some amazing summer meals. What could welcome the summer better than a fantastic new salad? I have been so excited to share this one!!!
A little side note: All of the recipes on my blog are my own, original creations, unless I tell you otherwise. That means that I basically spend a lot of my (few moments of) free time, brainstorming and playing around with recipe ideas and combinations. It also means that sometimes my great ideas just don’t work out, or need a few improvements or adjustments before they’re worth sharing. Sometimes however, I am happy to say that after scribbling and jotting down about 100 ideas for one recipe, there are times when my ideas are successful right off the bat! 
After seriously researching, and playing around with my ideas for the “perfect” Thai chicken salad, I am thrilled to say that this one is a clear WINNER!!!
Dive into this salad and you’ll feel like you’re dinning at a gourmet Thai restaurant. It’s everything that you have always wanted in a Thai chicken salad, but never thought you would ever dream of creating at home. This Crunchy Thai Chicken Salad is an explosion of textures and flavors that are sure to wow your taste buds, and your loved ones!
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into 4 strips (or tenderloins)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Thai red curry paste
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 heart romaine lettuce, sliced (shaved) very thin
- 1 medium head napa cabbage (about 1 pound), sliced (shaved) very thin
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and grated (medium grate)
- 2 large (or 3 small) green onions, sliced very thin
- 1 red pepper, ends cut off, and cut into 1" long, thin matchsticks
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (plus more for serving)
- 3/4 cup chopped peanuts (for serving)
- 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons, plus 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 4 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
Instructions
- Place chicken in a gallon sized ziplock bag, and add to it: olive oil, honey, lime juice, garlic powder, onion powder, curry paste, and fish sauce. Close bag and shake to combine. Place bag on a clean plate, lined with a paper towel, and allow to marinate in fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- To assemble the salad, combine the romaine, cabbage, carrots, onions, red pepper, and cilantro in a large bowl and toss together. Set aside or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- To prepare the dressing, add to a blender: peanut butter, garlic, honey, lime juice, vinegar, water, soy sauce, and fish sauce, and blend together until creamy and smooth.
- After chicken has marinated, cook chicken in a large non-stick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium high-heat. Cook chicken until no longer pink in the middle, about 5-8 minutes. Move chicken to a clean plate, and once cool enough to handle, pull apart and shred chicken. Place shredded chicken in a clean bowl.
- Serve salad topped with chicken, chopped peanuts and cilantro, and a hearty helping of peanut dressing. Enjoy!
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