Description
A slightly spicy Thai peanut chicken salad loaded with crunchy veggies, marinated chicken, chickpeas, and cashews, doused in a delicious peanut sauce. Go-to summer salads, here we come.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the chicken:
- 1/4 cup peanut butter (natural/drippy kind works well here)
- 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon red chili paste (such as sambal oelek)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 tablespoon ginger paste (or 1/2-inch fresh ginger, grated)
- 2-3 tablespoons of water to thin
- 1 pound chicken thighs (boneless & skinless), cut into cubes
For the salad:
- 4 cups shredded green cabbage (or purple, or a mix)
- 1/2 cup thinly slice green onions with tops
- 2 large carrots, peeled and grated (or sliced into ribbons)
- 1 cup cucumber, seeded and diced
- large handful fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup cashews, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Make the chicken marinade. Whisk together peanut butter, tamari, rice vinegar, garlic, chili paste, honey, ginger paste, and water until smooth. Place chicken thigh cubes in a glass container or bowl with a lid, and pour 1/2 cup of the marinade over them, reserving the rest for the salad dressing. Let sit for 15 minutes while you make the salad.
- Make the salad. While the chicken marinates, combine all the salad veggies into one big bowl. If you'd like, you can also use this time to chop everything if you hadn't already.
- Sauté the chicken. Heat some olive or sesame oil in a pan over medium heat. Add chicken thigh cubes and sauce to the pan and sauté until cooked through and tender.
- Assemble the salad. Divide salad and chicken into bowls for however many are eating, and drizzle any remaining peanut dressing over the top.
Notes
*I like to toss another handful of cashews on at the end -- for looks and extra crunch.
*You might have a little leftover peanut sauce. Save in a mason jar in your fridge for use throughout the week as a marinade, dressing, or dip.
*This salad loses just a little bit of crunch when it's been sitting in the fridge, but man is it good leftover!
*There are quite a few substitutions you can make if you don't have the ingredients on hand -- see post above for all my recommendations.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Salad
- Method: Combine
- Cuisine: Thai