Thai Chicken Salad with Light Peanut-Lime Dressing Recipe
This Thai Chicken Salad with Light Peanut-Lime Dressing is a vibrant, refreshing, and nutritious dish perfect for a quick lunch or light dinner. Combining crunchy slaw mix, colorful bell peppers, tender chicken breast, sweet apple, and protein-rich edamame, this salad is enhanced by a zesty and creamy peanut-lime dressing with a touch of heat from sriracha. It’s easy to prepare, packed with flavor, and can be served immediately or prepped ahead for convenience.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes (for cooking chicken if not pre-cooked)
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Salad
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: Thai
- Diet: Low Fat
Ingredients
Salad
- 5 heaping cups slaw mix
- ½ small red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, thinly sliced
- ½ small yellow bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, thinly sliced
- 3 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded or diced (about 1 lb)
- 1 honey crisp apple, chopped
- ½ cup shelled edamame, thawed if frozen
- ½ cup cilantro leaves
- ½ cup scallion greens, chopped
- ¼ cup dry roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
- Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
Dressing
- ½ cup PBfit peanut butter powder (or PB2)
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 3 tablespoons water
- 4 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce (or gluten-free tamari)
- 4 teaspoons maple syrup (or sugar-free alternative)
- 1½ tablespoons toasted sesame oil (or avocado oil)
- 2 to 3 teaspoons sriracha (or sambal oelek; omit if you don’t like spice)
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger (or ginger paste)
Instructions
- Make the Dressing: In a medium mixing bowl, combine the PBfit peanut butter powder, lime juice, water, low sodium soy sauce, maple syrup, toasted sesame oil, sriracha, and grated ginger. Whisk thoroughly until the dressing is smooth and well blended.
- Assemble the Salad: In a large bowl or divided into 4 meal prep containers, add the slaw mix, red and yellow bell peppers, cooked chicken breast, chopped apple, shelled edamame, cilantro leaves, and chopped scallions. Toss gently to combine all the ingredients evenly.
- Serve or Store: If serving immediately, drizzle the peanut-lime dressing over the salad, then sprinkle with roughly chopped dry roasted peanuts and toasted sesame seeds for garnish. Toss gently again before serving to distribute the dressing. For meal prep, transfer the dressing into small separate containers and refrigerate. Toss the salad with the dressing just before serving to keep it fresh and crisp.
Notes
- The chicken breast can be shredded or diced depending on your preference for texture.
- If you don’t have PBfit or PB2 peanut butter powder, you can substitute with natural peanut butter, but reduce the amount of water in the dressing to avoid thinning it too much.
- Adjust the sriracha quantity to suit your spice tolerance or omit it for a milder dressing.
- Use gluten-free tamari sauce instead of soy sauce to make this salad gluten-free.
- To save time, use pre-cooked rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken breast.
- This salad keeps well for meal prep; store the dressing separately to prevent sogginess.
