Crunchy Thai Salad with Sesame Chicken and Peanut Dressing

This crunchy Thai salad ticks all the boxes — it’s healthy, loaded with flavor and super easy to make! The sweet and tangy peanut dressing is also great as a dipping sauce for chicken skewers or pan fried tofu.

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My mother had some funny sayings.

I think I’ve mentioned to y’all a few of her most memorable lines, like

• “You look like you’ve been eating greasy chicken.” (when I used too much lip balm)
• “That’s some good water!” (after chugging a huge glass of it)
• “The secret to good cooking is plenty of onion and plenty of black pepper!”  (especially when cooking cornbread dressing or chicken and dumplings)

But this is probably my favorite and the one I hear myself saying the most:

“My body was just calling out for it!”

She said this when she ate something that she had been craving, like collard greens or chicken rice soup or maybe even Snickers bars : )

So lately, with the various winter storms and general malaise that’s taken hold out here in the country, I find my body just calling out for some healthy green food, and this crunchy Thai salad is just the thing! I love it this time of year because it’s a salad, yes, but made with hearty romaine lettuce and sweet peppers (no mealy hothouse tomatoes required), dried fruit and the yummiest sweet yet tangy peanut dressing. Top with crunchy peanuts, chow mein noodles and warm pan sautéed chicken and, well, your body will thank you.

Crunchy Thai Salad ingredients

Greens. I love to use crunchy romaine lettuce mixed with a bit of shredded purple cabbage (or not) for color. You could use shredded green lettuce if you can’t find romaine.

Purple Cabbage. Purple Cabbage is one of the underrated heroes in the vegetable kingdom. It’s low in calories, high in fiber and Vitamins K and A AND it’s super inexpensive, beautiful and incredibly adaptable. Don’t be afraid to buy a whole head as it keeps well in a loosely tied plastic bag in the fridge, even after cutting, for at least 1 week.

Sweet Peppers. Try to include red, orange and yellow peppers if you can, especially if you’re eating this salad in the winter. Here’s an interesting article on the benefits of “eating the rainbow”

Roasted Peanuts. I keep dry roasted peanuts on hand to top stir fried veggies, easy Thai curry or just for snacking. For this crunchy Thai salad I like to toast the peanuts for just a few minutes, either in a toaster oven or in a cast iron skillet, for added flavor and improved crunch. (Can you tell I’m all about the crunch?!)

Chow Mein Noodles. Purely for, yes, crunch. And they look cool piled atop the greens as well!

Cilantro. To clean cilantro, I leave it bound in a bunch and swash the leaves around in a container of water. Then shake out excess water, wrap in a few paper towels and store in a plastic bag (I use a bag from the grocery) in the fridge. Use liberally in this salad.

Dried Cranberries. These add just the right touch of sweetness. Feel free to substitute chopped dried mango or apricots.

Chicken. Purely optional but nice if you’re looking to add more protein to your diet or just want to make this salad a bit more filling. Grilled chicken is always lovely, or try pan sautéeing as I do here if it’s too nippy to get to the grill.

Peanut Dressing. Made with peanut butter, cider vinegar, garlic, ginger and a touch of brown sugar. This also makes a delicious and easy dressing for an Asian style coleslaw.

 

how to assemble

1. Chop or tear romaine lettuce into bite size pieces and add to bowl
2. Add shaved purple cabbage, chopped peppers, cranberries and peanuts
3. Pour on peanut dressing and toss all ingredients together until coated
4. Divide between the individual serving bowls
5. Top with sesame chicken
6. Pile on the chow mein noodles
7. Sprinkle artistically with cilantro

can I make crunchy thai salad in advance?

Believe it or not, it’s super easy to prep this salad even a day in advance! Which makes it great for dinner parties or when you know you’ll be coming in late from work. Here’s how:

• Place greens, cabbage, peppers and cranberries in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge
• Prep cilantro as directed in the ingredients list above
• Make peanut dressing and store in fridge
• Sauté chicken, let cool and store in the fridge
• When it’s time to serve you have only to toss the salad with dressing, then top with the chicken, noodles and peanuts, and you’re good to go!

 

notes and substitutions

• If you’re making the dressing in advance pour it into a glass jar with a lid as it tends to separate, and you’ll need to give it a good shake before serving.
• If you like a thicker dressing just cut back on the water.
• The dressing recipe as written is not terribly sweet, so if you prefer a more intense taste up the sugar by 1-2 teaspoons.
• Double the peanut dressing recipe if you love love love lots of dressing!
• You can cook the chicken in advance then warm it up just before serving in a nonstick skillet.
• Feel free to cook the chicken anyway you like. Grilled is wonderful in the summer, and you could even add leftover BBQ chicken for even more flavor!
• Top secret tip: during Lent, or when I don’t have chicken, I add cubes of leftover Baked BBQ Tofu to my salad. It goes super well with this salad, as both feature peanuts and a tangy sauce.
• To make this vegan, just leave out the chicken!
• Substitute chopped dried mango or apricots for the dried cranberries.
• If you don’t have (or don’t like) garlic granules, substitute 1 small clove of fresh garlic. Just add it to the blender along with the rest of the dressing ingredients. 

 

 

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