Thai Chicken Salad is an explosion of flavors all in one salad! It is filled with peanut marinated chicken, fresh cucumbers, carrots, avocado, cilantro, mint, and peanuts, all tossed in a peanut vinaigrette.

With the promise of warmer temps in the near future, my taste buds are slowly shifting from craving all of the casseroles to some lighter dishes with lots of fresh produce. I might be getting ahead of myself because after all, it is only March and I do live in Minnesota. Regardless, I’ve been busy developing a bunch of new salad recipes and I am obsessed with this Thai Chicken Salad!

This Thai Peanut Chicken Salad is SO full of flavor. It’s insane. The base of the salad starts with mixed spring greens, but if you’re not a huge fan, you can certainly use butter lettuce, romaine lettuce, and even chopped kale! Next, sprinkle on crunchy vegetables like cucumber and carrots, along with some avocado, cilantro and mint. I almost forgot about mint, but then I remembered how much I LOVE mint in fresh spring rolls, and I’m so glad I added it. The mint adds a freshness to the salad that is just beyond.

The protein in this salad is chicken thighs which are marinated in a peanut curry marinade. You can grill the chicken or cook it on the stovetop – both are delicious!

Lastly, this salad is topped with an AMAZING peanut vinaigrette. Not only was it perfect on this salad, but it was delicious on some noodles for my littles, too!

What You’ll Need

• Chicken Thighs
• Peanut Butter
• Soy Sauce
• Rice Vinegar
• Curry Powder
• Garlic
• Honey
• Olive Oil
• Sesame Oil
• Thai Chili Sauce
• Mixed Spring Greens
• Cucumber
• Carrots
• Avocado
• Mint
• Cilantro
• Peanuts

Thai Chicken Salad Questions

Can This Salad Be Prepped In Advance?

Yes. You can prep all of the different components, such as the chicken, vinaigrette, and chopping the vegetables (aside from the avocado) in advance. I would not assemble the salad until you are ready to eat, as it will likely get soggy.

Can I Use Rotisserie Chicken Instead?

Definitely! You will lose a tiny bit of flavor from the peanut marinated chicken but honestly, the peanut vinaigrette will make up for it!

Can A Different Type of Lettuce Be Used?

Absolutely. Instead of the mixed spring greens, you could use chopped butter lettuce (this would be my preference), chopped romaine, or even chopped kale for this Thai Chicken Salad. If you use kale, I would recommend adding the dressing to the kale before the toppings, and stirring well to ensure the dressing adheres to the kale and softens it up a bit. I have also seen Thai salads made with shredded cabbage, which would also be delicious with this dressing and toppings!

Like this recipe? Check these out, too!

Southwestern Chopped Chicken Salad

Thai Peanut Pasta Salad

Thai Chili Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Thai Peanut Vegetable Bowls

Thai Chicken Salad

Thai Chicken Salad is full of flavor with peanut chicken, cucumbers, carrots, avocado, mint, cilantro, peanuts, and a peanut vinaigrette!

Print Pin Rate

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Thai

Keyword: avocado, chicken salad, cilantro, cucumbers, mint, peanuts, salad, salad dressing

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 831kcal

Author: Taylor

Ingredients

Peanut Chicken

• 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs chicken breasts also work
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 2 cloves garlic minced

Peanut Vinaigrette

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup sweet Thai chili sauce

Salad

• 6-8 cups Mixed Greens
• 1 English cucumber sliced
• 2 carrots julienned, or cut into matchstick pieces
• 1 avocado sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 3 tbsp chopped mint
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts

Instructions

Chicken

• In a small bowl, combine chicken marinade ingredients.
• Drizzle on top of chicken and let marinate for at least 20 minutes, or up to overnight.
• Preheat stovetop skillet or grill to medium-high heat.
• Once hot, add the chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through. If using chicken breasts, you may need to increase cooking time to 5-6 minutes on each side depending on thickness.
• Remove from skillet and set aside for 10 minutes and then chop into bite-sized pieces.

Peanut Vinaigrette

• Add all of the vinaigrette dressing ingredients to a small food processor or blender and process until well combined and smooth.

Salad

• To assemble the salad, add desired amount of greens to each salad bowl/plate. Alternately, you can make one big salad in a larger salad bowl.
• Sprinkle each salad or large salad bowl with cucumber, carrots, avocado, mint, cilantro, peanuts, and chopped chicken.
• Drizzle with peanut vinaigrette and serve. Start with about half of the dressing and then add more as desired.
• Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 831kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 62g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Monounsaturated Fat: 36g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 162mg | Sodium: 720mg | Potassium: 1247mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 6202IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 4mg

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