With bright, crunchy veggies and a ridiculously tasty peanut sauce, this Thai-Inspired Peanut Chicken Salad will be a lunch that you’ll look forward to all morning long!

colorful thai chopped chicken salad in an individual serving glass meal prep container with peanut dressing + crushed peanuts in the background

We love make-ahead lunches around here: make a batch on a Sunday, and you’ll have multiple meals to help streamline the hectic work week ahead. But the biggest pitfall when it comes to meal-prepping veggie dishes is the dreaded soggy salad syndrome that turns fresh salad greens to lifeless mush after a couple days in the fridge.

That’s not the case with this Thai-Inspired chicken and veggie dish. It calls for sturdy veggies like cabbage, carrots, and bell peppers, which stay crisp for a few days in the fridge. Then, come lunch time,  just toss them with a quick peanut dressing, and sprinkle crushed peanuts on top for extra crunch.

While this Thai-Inspired salad can absolutely be enjoyed on its own for two days worth of meal-prepped lunches, it was created to work in tandem with our Southwestern Quinoa Salad. Together — with just thirty minutes of prep, most of which is easy chopping + tossing — you’ll have an entire week of Cook Once, Eat All Week: Lunch Style salads (3 quinoa + 3 Thai). The duo is delicious for dinner too!

If you’re in the market for another delicious meal prep lunch recipe, this high protein bean salad is a great pick!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Only takes 15 minutes to whip up!
  • Packed with flavor, color, and texture
  • Easily to customize
  • Created to pair with our Southwestern Quinoa Salad recipe: together, they’ll give you a full week’s worth of healthy and delicious lunches 

Thai Chicken Salad Recipe Ingredients

Here’s everything you’ll need to add to your grocery list so that you can whip up this Thai chicken salad. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.

Ingredients for Thai inspired chopped chicken salad sit in a variety of bowl on a light grey countertop.
  • Green and purple cabbage – the combo of two colorful and crunchy brassicas is the base of this veggie-packed dish. 
  • Carrots – a cup of shredded carrots adds sweetness and color 
  • Cucumber – diced cucumber gives refreshing flavor
  • Red bell pepper – diced red (or yellow, or orange) bell peppers go into the mix 
  • Red bell pepper – 2 cups of shredded chicken (about 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken or chicken thighs)
  • Cilantro –roughly chopped cilantro adds bright herbal flavor
  • Green onions – boost flavor and add more color
  • Peanuts – 1/4 cup of crushed peanuts adds crunch to the finished dish
  • Peanut butter – creamy natural peanut butter is the base of our super easy dressing
  • Coconut aminos – 2 tablespoons of coconut aminos give the dressing depth
  • Lime juice – adds a burst of citrus flavor
  • Honey – just 2 teaspoons of honey sweetens and rounds out the dressing
  • Sesame oil – adds toasty, nutty flavor
  • Red pepper – a pinch of crushed red pepper gives just a little heat

A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

Recipe Variations and Modifications

  • Dressing – this creamy and delicious peanut dressing is super quick to make. (All you need to do is blitz some pantry staples up in a blender.) But if you’d rather, feel free to sub in a store-bought variety. Just thin it with a little water or lime juice if it seems too thick to toss with the chicken and veggie mixture.
  • Chicken – this recipe calls for 2 cups of rotisserie chicken. If you’d rather cook yours at home, follow our guide to making shredded chicken in the slow cooker or Instant Pot and save the extras for another meal.
  • Herbs – if you’re not a fan of cilantro, swap in another fresh green herb. Thai basil can be hard to find at grocery stores, but its distinctive and authentically Thai flavor is worth seeking out for this dish if you can find it. Mint leaves also taste delicious in this dish: add the leaves whole, torn, or sliced.

How to Make Thai Chicken Salad 

This is essentially a chop, shred, slice, blend, and toss situation…SO easy! 

An orange colored saucy mixture sits in a white bowl with a metal spoon.
Chopped veggies are shown being poured into a large glass mixing bowl.

Step 1: for the peanut dressing, blend all ingredients until smooth.

Step 2: for the salad, add all ingredients but crushed peanuts to a large bowl.

Ingredients for Thai inspired chicken salad are shown being combined in a glass mixing bowl.
Thai inspired chopped chicken salad sits in a large glass mixing bowl. A brown sauce is shown being drizzled over the top.

Step 3: Toss to combine.

(*If you’re meal-prepping or planning to eat this dish later, leave the dressing on the side. Both elements will last for 4-5 days in the refrigerator.)

Step 4: when you’re ready to eat, drizzle the peanut dressing over top and toss again. Top with crushed peanuts and serve.

Recipe Tips

  • Creamy v. crunchy: you can use either type of peanut butter for this recipe, although creamy with give you smoother results.
  • Double up: make a double batch of this creamy peanut dressing to use as a veggie dip, or to toss with cooked noodles and fresh or cooked veggies.

How to Serve Thai Peanut Chicken Salad

If you’re serving this dish right away, toss the chicken-veggie mix with the dressing and top with crushed peanuts.

How to Store

The salads will save best (and stay super crunchy) stored in airtight containers in the fridge. To prevent a wilted, soggy salad, store the peanut dressing separately. 

colorful thai chopped chicken salad in 3 individual serving glass meal prep containers sitting next to peanut dressing + crushed peanuts

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s in Thai peanut chicken salad?

Like ours, most Thai chicken salad recipes are made up of crunchy shredded cabbage and tons of fresh, crunchy veggies – plus a little bit of extra crunch thanks to chopped peanuts or slivered almonds. 

How do you keep Thai chicken salad crunchy?

This meal prep recipe calls for two simple strategies to keep the ingredients crunchy. First, we use ingredients like cabbage and carrots as the base, which hold up better to storing and dressing than more delicate lettuces.

What is Thai salad dressing made of?

Thai salad dressing is typically made with a base of peanut butter that gets seasoned, and thinned out with other liquids like water and lime juice. Our recipe includes those core ingredients, plus honey, sesame oil, crushed red pepper flakes, and coconut aminos.

More Healthy Lunch Recipes

If you tried this Thai Peanut Chicken Salad, or any other recipe on the Fed & Fit website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it went in the 📝 comments below!

Video

Thai Peanut Chicken Salad

4.88 — Votes 109 votes
Prep: 15 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Servings: 3 Servings
This Thai chopped chicken salad is filled with fresh, vibrant veggies and the creamiest peanut sauce! It makes a perfect make-ahead lunch for the week.

Ingredients  

For the Salad:

  • 1 1/2 cups shredded green cabbage*
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded purple cabbage*
  • 1 cup shredded carrots*
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 cup diced cucumber
  • 2 cups shredded chicken, from a rotisserie chicken or about 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro
  • 1/4 cup sliced green onions1/4 cup crushed peanuts, for garnish

For the Peanut Dressing:

  • 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
  • 2 tablespoon coconut aminos
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • Pinch crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions 

  • For the peanut dressing: blend all ingredients until smooth.
  • For the salad, add all ingredients but crushed peanuts to a large bowl and toss to combine, then drizzle the peanut dressing over top and toss again. Top with crushed peanuts and serve. If you are planning to eat later, leave the dressing on the side and pour it over when you are ready to eat so that the cabbage doesn’t get soggy. This will last for 4-5 days in the refrigerator.

Recipe Notes

  1. You can use 4 cups of coleslaw blend in place of the shredded cabbage and carrots for this recipe!
  2. You can substitute sunbutter, almond butter, or cashew butter in place of the peanut butter, if desired.
  3. For a vegetarian salad, substitute the chicken with chickpeas, or another favorite vegetarian protein!

Nutrition

Calories: 404kcal | Carbohydrates: 23.9g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 16.9g | Saturated Fat: 3.3g | Cholesterol: 110.3mg | Sodium: 414.1mg | Fiber: 5.4g | Sugar: 11.6g

Additional Info

Course: Lunch
Cuisine: Thai
Servings: 3 Servings
Calories: 404
Keyword: cabbage, gluten free, lunch, meal prep, salad, Thai

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Elizabeth Brownfield


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213 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This is seriously so good! I had it for dinner last night and couldn’t get enough, so had it again for lunch today!

  2. So delicious! Iโ€™ve tried making other salads like this and they never work out. This one was great! Thank you!

    1. So glad to hear that, Dagny! Thanks for sharing this with us!

  3. 5 stars
    This salad is delicious! I prepped it for my lunches this week, and itโ€™s so refreshing, especially in 100+ weather in Texas! I feel like it also gave me a good amount of veggies that I am lacking in my everyday diet! Thanks for this great recipe – it will be on repeat!

    1. That’s so great to hear! Thanks for sharing this with us, Ashley!

  4. 5 stars
    Another winner winner chicken dinner! . This recipe was so easy and sooooo delish! Plus…my kids loved it, which is an added bonus . The dressing was just perfect and creamy. I bought a pre bagged slaw mix from whole food then added in bagged shredded carrots. I also made a double so we had extra the next day for lunch. The salad held up really nicely even stored with the dressing on the salad. Definitely a must make again meal!

    1. Amazing! We’re so glad the whole family enjoyed it, Allison!

  5. 5 stars
    This salad will be on repeat for meal prep in my house. Iโ€™ve been eating it all week and has stayed fresh. And that peanut dressing I could drink it! I will probably
    Delinks the dressing recipe next time because Iโ€™m so obsessed.

    1. Wahoo!! I agree – that peanut dressing is AMAZING!

  6. 5 stars
    Wow, this was fun! I have not made a Thai dish before! I wasnโ€™t sure that I would like the combination of ingredients but was quite pleasantly surprised! You have challenged and stretched my cooking horizons. Thank you for all of the incredibly nutritious and fun recipes that you offer. Keep us going!

    1. So awesome! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Brenda!

  7. 4 stars
    I made this made this dish to bring for easy, veggie filled lunches while glamping this week. I love the addition of cucumber – so fresh! I’ll probably add an extra squeeze of lime the next time I portion out a bowl.

  8. 5 stars
    I wish I could post a picture of my husband when he was eating this: Plate in one hand, shoveling food into his mouth with the other. He loved it (and so did I) I work as a pilot and am consequently always living out of a hotel room. Meal prep is important and finding recipes that hold their texture over several days is key! This recipe checks all the boxes.

    1. Wow! Thanks so much, Kimberlee! We’re so glad you both loved this recipe – it’s definitely one of my very favorites!

  9. 5 stars
    This is perfect for hot summer days and is delicious! I canโ€™t have peanuts so I subbed the peanut butter for almond butter and left off the peanut crumbs and I canโ€™t imagine it tasting any better! The dressing is so good!

    1. Yay! That’s awesome, Drianna! Thanks for sharing this with us!

  10. This Thai Chicken Salad will be a regular at our homeโ€”itโ€™s absolutely delish! We prepped all the ingredients over the weekend, which made for an easy weeknight meal. All the crunchy textures & every bite of peanut dressing was a treatโ€”felt like a healthy entree that we could actually enjoy! With teen daughters, itโ€™s hard to find something that they want to eat, but since they love peanut butter, all the vegetables suddenly became palatable-lol! We shredded our cabbage instead of just buying it shredded in a bag. Itโ€™s so worth it, but does make a big mess. We substituted Dang Coconut Chips for peanuts & included a lime wedge. The dressing is amazing! Everything has kept well in the fridge, too. Itโ€™s a great โ€˜last all weekโ€™ lunch option!
    Iโ€™m about to have a hysterectomy tomorrow so Iโ€™ve been busy stocking my freezer with meals that my family can enjoy while I recover. Your 1,000 Island Chicken Bake & Easy Chicken Enchiladas Casserole will be first on their menu, and Iโ€™m looking forward to enjoying your Thai Chopped Chicken Salad again, too! My family appreciates all your healthy & delicious recipes so muchโ€”thank you!!!

    1. So amazing, Michelle!! Thank you for sharing this with us! Good luck with your surgery tomorrow!

  11. 5 stars
    I made this and LOVE it! It was so easy (I used cole slaw mix) and quick to make. The crunchy salad, tender chicken, and creamy peanut sauce make for a tasty lunch or supper.

  12. 5 stars
    I added a tablespoon of rice wine vinegar to the peanut sauce for a little more mmm. Next time I think I’ll use broth instead of water in the sauce and water it down a bit more, then just combine the sauce and chicken together. I always fiddle with recipes, though; this is a great and easy recipe for a light, delicious meal!

    1. So glad you love it, Sarah! Thanks for sharing your tips!

  13. 5 stars
    Whipped this receive today. Super easy and canโ€™t wait to eat it all week!

  14. 5 stars
    I made this for dinner tonight and it is wonderful! I love the fresh crunch of the salad and the dressing is so good! It is great for a summer dinner when you don’t want to turn on the oven or stove. I am definitely planning on making this for lunches when I go back to work. Thank you for this recipe!

    1. I totally agree! Thanks so much for sharing this with us, Sam!