Asian Peanut Chicken Salad — 🥗🥕🥒🙌 There’s lots of CRUNCH in this hearty salad made with bell peppers, red cabbage, lettuce, cucumber, carrots, and more! The protein-packed edamame and chicken make this salad very filling, and the creamy peanut dressing infuses the salad with layers of Asian-inspired FLAVOR! Put your leftover chicken to use with this FAST and EASY salad that’s great for work lunches or as a lighter dinner idea!
Table of Contents
There’s no shortage of crispness and crunch in this Asian-inspired chicken salad! Between the romaine lettuce, red cabbage, cucumber, edamame, and more this is one salad that you’ll never get bored of eating!
The creamy peanut dressing comes directly from my gold star Thai peanut salad. It’s been a reader favorite for years, and I’m not exaggerating when I say I could eat this peanut dressing by the spoonful. If you love peanut sauce as much as I do, make sure to check out the recipes below the recipe card which are all made with homemade peanut sauce or peanut dressing.
This dressing is neither too sweet, nor too savory. It has a distinct peanut flavor, but the addition of sesame oil adds further nuttiness and depth of flavor. There’s also some honey in the dressing for sweetness and apple cider vinegar for tang.
This peanut chicken salad is a very flexible recipe that can be made using pretty much any type of cooked chicken you have on hand. Between the chicken and the edamame, this is a protein-packed salad that will actually keep you full!
If you meal prep on weekends, cook the chicken, slice up the veggies, and whisk together the peanut sauce dressing in advance. This recipe makes four generous servings when eating as a main dish (and more if you’re serving it as a side salad) and can be enjoyed all week long!
No Need to Ever Buy Peanut Sauce! Make It!
Peanut sauce is one of the easiest sauces to make and it’s pricey in the grocery store which is why I ALWAYS make it and never buy it. It’s made with ingredients that I always keep in my pantry – peanut butter, honey, apple cider vinegar to name a few – and whisking it together is a 30 second job at most. Plus, this way you can customize it and go a little sweeter with more a bit honey, or a little thinner with more oil/vinegar, etc.
Salad Ingredients
Both the salad and the Asian peanut dressing are a cinch to prepare and use simple ingredients, including the following:
For the Peanut Dressing:
- Creamy peanut butter – I use a traditional no-stir variety like Jif or Skippy because I find that natural peanut butter creates an overly runny dressing
- Honey
- Toasted sesame oil
- Apple cider vinegar (or rice vinegar)
- Ground ginger
- Salt and pepper
- Garlic
- Cayenne pepper – optional, adds a kick of heat
For the Salad:
- Cooked chicken – see FAQs for suggestions on cooking the chicken
- Romaine lettuce
- Edamame – cooked according to the package instructions
- Red cabbage
- Bell pepper – I used a red bell pepper but any color is fine
- Cucumber
- Carrots
- Slivered almonds – or use chopped peanuts
- Green onions
- Fresh cilantro
- Fresh basil
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make an Asian Peanut Chicken Salad
Since the Asian peanut salad calls for pre-cooked chicken, you don’t have to turn on the oven or stove to prepare the recipe.
The steps are very simple:
- Prepare the Asian peanut salad dressing by whisking together all of the ingredients in a bowl.
- In a large bowl, toss together the salad ingredients.
- Pour half of the dressing into the salad and mix to coat. Add additional dressing as desired, or refrigerate the leftover dressing for future salads.
Make-Ahead Instructions
Once the peanut dressing is tossed with the chicken and vegetables, you need to eat the salad immediately.
However, you can prepare elements of this peanut chicken salad recipe in advance.
Storage Instructions
- Chicken: Can be cooked, then shredded or sliced and refrigerated until ready to use. Extra chicken will keep for 3-5 days, approximately.
- Dressing: Can be whisked together and refrigerated for up to 1 week. Extra dressing will keep for up to 1 week.
- Salad: One dressed and tossed, I suggest consuming the salad right away. You could do this a few hours ahead such as for an event or for a work lunch that you mix everything up in the morning before you leave the house, but of course, salads get soggier as time passes so use your judgment here. Extra veggies or lettuce will keep refrigerated for up to 3-5 days, depending on how fresh they were going in.
Recipe FAQs
You may use any leftover cooked chicken you have on hand, be it roasted chicken, baked chicken breasts, grilled chicken, or poached chicken. You can also buy a rotisserie chicken at the store and shred or dice it to use in the salad.
If you’re out of peanut butter or have a peanut allergy in your family, you can use a no-stir almond butter, cashew butter, or seed butter to make the dressing. I’ve only tested the dressing as written, so I can’t speak to whether or not you’ll have to make other adjustments to recipe to balance out the flavors.
If you have fresh ginger on hand, go ahead and use it in the dressing. I typically use ground ginger because it’s faster, cheaper, and I keep it stocked in my spice cabinet.
Of course, you can make the peanut chicken salad using any blend of vegetables you’d like.
No, the sesame oil adds lots of flavor to the peanut dressing so I don’t recommend substituting it. It’s typically sold as ‘toasted sesame oil‘ which is what I recommend. If you have one in your area, the Trader Joe’s toasted sesame oil is what I buy. It’s got a nice flavor and is pretty inexpensive (when bought in a TJs store).
What to Serve with Peanut Chicken Salad
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Asian Peanut Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Peanut Dressing
- ⅓ cup cup creamy peanut butter (heaping or domed)
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, or rice vinegar
- 1 to 2 teaspoons ground ginger, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced or pressed, optional
- pinch cayenne pepper or dash of sriracha, optional and to taste
Salad
- 2 cups cooked chicken*, diced or shredded (see Notes below for chicken options)
- 1 head of romaine lettuce, shredded (or a 10 ounce bag hearty salad greens)
- 2 cups frozen edamame, cooked according to package directions and cooled
- 1 cup red cabbage, shredded
- 1 red bell pepper, diced small
- 1 medium cucumber, diced or sliced(peeled if desired, I remove seeds OR use an English cucumber)
- 1 large carrot, shredded or peeled into ribbons
- ¼ cup sliced or slivered almonds or peanuts, I prefer salted, but unsalted are fine
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely minced
- 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Peanut Dressing – To a medium bowl, add all the ingredients for the dressing, whisk until smooth and combined, taste, and make any necessary seasoning or flavor adjustments. (i.e. more honey, more peanut butter, more salt, more sesame oil, etc.). I like my sauce on the thicker side but you can add more vinegar/honey to thin it if desired; set aside.
- Salad – To a large bowl, add all the ingredients, and toss to combine.
- Assembly – Pour half the dressing over the salad, and mix to coat evenly. Then, before serving, top with the remaining dressing, if desired and to taste. I love lots of dressing but some people prefer things a bit drier.
- Storage – Extra peanut sauce dressing will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 1 week. Extra salad ingredients will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 3-5 days if the salad has NOT been tossed. After you toss the salad with the dressing, like with any salad, it's best consumed promptly because it gets soggier as it sits.
- Make Ahead – If you're making this for an event or for a work lunch and want to mix up everything that moring to have it ready, that's fine. But I wouldn't mix it up and dress it more than about 4 hours prior to consuming.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Recipes Using Peanut Sauce:
Thai Peanut Noodles with Homemade Peanut Sauce — These peanut noodles are easy, ready in 20 minutes, and packed with so much flavor from the peanut butter, ginger, and sesame oil!
Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken — Juicy chicken is coated in the most incredible peanut sauce! Serve it over rice for an easy meal, and garnish with green onions and extra peanuts for added crunch!
Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps — EASY, ready in 20 minutes, HEALTHY, and the peanut sauce is the BEST!! Great flavors and textures in every bite of these IRRESISTIBLE wraps!!
Easy Chicken Satay With Peanut Sauce — Look no further from this FAST and EASY recipe for authentic-tasting Thai chicken satay. The chicken is so tender and juicy and there’s plenty of homemade PEANUT SAUCE to dip it into!
Crunchy Thai Peanut Salad with Chicken — Crispy fried chicken with crunchy cabbage, carrots, peanuts, cilantro and the EASIEST and BEST homemade peanut sauce that coats every bite!! A salad that you’ll CRAVE over and over!
15-Minute Spicy Peanut Noodles – Drenched in spicy peanut sauce, this EASY recipe for peanut noodles is faster than calling for takeout! Homemade peanut sauce is amped up with sesame oil, ginger, soy, sriracha, and tossed with rice noodles for a great quick and easy lunch or busy weeknight dinner.
