Ingredients
For the Peanut Dressing
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
For the Salad
- 2.5 cups cooked and shredded cold chicken
- 4 cups shredded napa cabbage
- 2 cups shredded red cabbage
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- 1 English cucumber, seeded and julienned
- 1 ripe but firm mango, julienned
- 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
- 5 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/4 cup chopped mint
- 1/4 cup chopped Thai basil
- 1 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
Make the Peanut Dressing
In a medium bowl, whisk the peanut butter and warm water together until the mixture is smooth.
Add the soy sauce, lime juice, rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil, minced garlic, and grated ginger.
Continue whisking until the dressing is completely combined and emulsified. It should be pourable but still thick enough to coat the vegetables. If it’s too thick, you can add another tablespoon of water. Set this aside; it can be made a day ahead.
Cook and Cool the Chicken
Poach two large chicken breasts in salted water until they reach an internal temperature of 165F, usually about ~15-20 minutes.
While the chicken is still warm, shred it with two forks. It’s much harder to shred once it gets cold.
Spread the shredded chicken on a plate or in a container and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours, or until it is completely cold to the touch.
Prep the Salad Components
While the chicken cools, prepare all your vegetables, herbs, and peanuts. You want everything ready to go.
Julienne the mango and cucumber into thin matchsticks. The goal is for every forkful to have a little bit of everything, so uniform cuts help.
Toss and Serve Immediately
In a very large bowl, combine the cold shredded chicken, both types of cabbage, carrots, cucumber, mango, red bell pepper, scallions, and all the fresh herbs.
Pour about three-quarters of the dressing over the salad and toss everything together with tongs. The cabbage will start to compress as it gets coated.
Add the chopped peanuts and give it one final toss. Taste it, and add the remaining dressing if you think it needs it.
This salad must be served immediately. The salt in the dressing will begin to draw water out of the vegetables within about 10 minutes, making the whole thing watery. If you need to make it ahead, keep the dressing, peanuts, and other components separate until just before serving.
Thai Chicken Salad
Ingredients
For the Peanut Dressing
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
For the Salad
- 2.5 cups cooked and shredded cold chicken
- 4 cups shredded napa cabbage
- 2 cups shredded red cabbage
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- 1 English cucumber seeded and julienned
- 1 ripe but firm mango julienned
- 1 medium red bell pepper cut into thin strips
- 5 scallions thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/4 cup chopped mint
- 1/4 cup chopped Thai basil
- 1 cup roasted peanuts coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Whisk the peanut butter and warm water in a medium bowl until smooth.
- Add the soy sauce, lime juice, rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger to the bowl.
- Whisk until the dressing is emulsified and pourable. Add an extra tablespoon of water if too thick.
- Poach the chicken breasts in salted water until they reach 165F (15-20 minutes).
- Shred the warm chicken using two forks.
- Spread the shredded chicken on a plate and refrigerate for 2 hours until cold.
- While the chicken cools, prep all the vegetables, herbs, and peanuts.
- Cut the mango and cucumber into thin, uniform matchsticks.
- In a large bowl, combine the cold chicken, cabbages, carrots, cucumber, mango, bell pepper, scallions, and herbs.
- Pour three-quarters of the dressing over the salad and toss with tongs.
- Add the chopped peanuts and toss again.
- Taste and add remaining dressing if needed.
