This Thai chicken salad recipe has perfectly cooked chicken, fresh veggies, crunchy peanuts, and the most delicious creamy dressing.
This Thai chicken salad has so much flavor and texture. You’ll love the dressing made with fish sauce, lime juice, and sweet Thai chili sauce, which perfectly balances savory, sour, and sweet.
To really soak up all the flavor from the dressing, you’ll let the chicken sit in it for 20 minutes before tossing in lots of fresh veggies, herbs, and peanuts. It’s a simple trick, but it really takes the flavor of this salad to the next level! For another Asian-inspired salad, see our Chinese chicken salad.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken: I use chicken breasts for this salad, but like to butterfly them before baking them in the oven. This means I slice each chicken breast horizontally, almost all the way through, and open it like a book to create a thinner, even thickness (which also means they cook quickly). If you don’t want to prepare the chicken this way, consider using chicken tenderloins or thin-cut chicken breasts from the store.
- Creamy Thai Dressing: For this salad, we are mashing together a creamy chicken salad and a few of our favorite Thai flavors, like fish sauce, lime juice, and sweet Thai chili sauce (which I also use to make the dipping sauce for these crab rangoon and crispy spring rolls). We use mayo for the base. You can use store-bought, homemade mayo, or if you’d prefer it, swap it for plain Greek yogurt (just remember that yogurt will be more tart). We also use fresh lime and fish sauce when making our Thai green curry.
- Veggies: I keep them more hearty, so they hold up in the salad over time. I love cabbage, bell pepper, and celery (yes! celery). When slicing the celery, cut it on a diagonal into thin slices. It’s wonderful in this salad (trust me). Feel free to add more veggies like carrots or jicama. I also add a good amount of fresh cilantro for extra flavor.
- Extras: This salad is about crunch, so I love tossing some peanuts (cashews would be great, too), toasted sesame seeds, and some crispy wonton strips into the bowl. I buy the wonton strips and only add them if I plan to eat the salad right away since they do soften and become soggy over time. So, if you are making this ahead of time, portion them out and keep them in a separate container for when you plan to enjoy the salad so that they stay crunchy.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make the Best Thai Chicken Salad
Tip 1: Butterfly your chicken. Chicken breasts vary dramatically in size and thickness and are usually not uniform in how thick they are across the breast, so we butterfly them. This means that we take a knife, slice them almost through the middle, and open them like a book, flattening them on the baking sheet. If you don’t want to go through the effort, use chicken tenderloins or thin cut chicken breasts from the store.
Tip 2: Season your chicken. We rub them down with toasted sesame oil and tamari before baking them in the oven. The seasoning is simple and so good! Remember this technique for other recipes that have an Asian lean and call for cooked chicken.
Tip 3: Let the chicken sit in the dressing. Once the chicken is cooked, you’ll want to let it cool for a few minutes and fold it into our creamy dressing. Here’s the next tip you should take away with you whether you make this salad or not:
Adding the warm chicken to the dressing encourages the chicken to absorb all the delicious Thai flavors from the dressing. I also pour any juices left on the baking sheet, which tastes amazing thanks to the sesame oil and tamari.
More Dinner Worthy Salads
Crunchy Thai Chicken Salad
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
We love this super flavorful and crunchy Thai chicken salad. We cook the chicken and make the creamy dressing from scratch. For the dressing, you will need something creamy. My preference is mayonnaise, but you can experiment with plain Greek yogurt if you’d like. Keep in mind that yogurt will be a little more tart.
I’ve written this as a complete, dinner-worthy salad, but feel free to make the creamy chicken salad without any veggies and then use it for lettuce wraps, sandwiches, or wraps with tortillas.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1 pound chicken breast (450 g)
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
3 tablespoons mayonnaise (42 g)
2 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce, like from Mae Ploy
2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons lime juice, plus more for serving
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons finely minced red onion (25 g)
4 cups shredded cabbage, use white cabbage, red cabbage, or a combination (280 g)
1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and sliced
3 ribs celery, thinly sliced, about 1 cup
½ cup peanuts, roughly chopped (70 g)
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Fine sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, optional
Handful of crispy wonton strips, optional
Directions
1Prep: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2Prepare the chicken: Slice each chicken breast horizontally, almost all the way through, and open it like a book to create a thinner, even thickness. This “butterflying” technique guarantees quick, even cooking.
3Bake the chicken: Place butterflied chicken on the prepared baking sheet, rub them all over with the sesame oil and soy sauce, then bake until just cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes.
4Make the dressing: In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, Thai chili sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, rice vinegar, and finely minced red onion.
5Marinate the chicken: Dice the cooked and rested chicken into ½-inch pieces, add to the bowl with the dressing, and then gently toss until the chicken is well coated. Add any liquid left on the baking sheet, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of pepper, toss again, and let it sit in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, or until cool.
6Make Thai chicken salad: Toss the cabbage with a pinch of salt and set aside for 5 minutes, then add it to the bowl with the chicken, along with the bell pepper, celery, chopped peanuts, cilantro, and the optional sesame seeds and crispy wontons. Toss well, then season with salt, pepper, and extra lime juice as needed (I always add more lime juice).
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Chicken: We butterfly the chicken breasts to promote even, quick cooking. If they are available, you can substitute 1 pound of chicken tenderloins or “thin sliced” chicken breast (both will allow you to skip the butterflying step.)
- Storing: This salad keeps for 2 days in an airtight container in the fridge. As it sits, the flavors will intensify, and the cabbage will wilt slightly (but not in a bad way). The only element of this salad that does not hold well is the wonton strips, which I recommend adding right before serving so that they are crispy.
- Nutrition facts are estimates. We did not include the wonton strips.
I thought the rice vinegar was too much until the chicken marinated in it after cooking. Really good recipe, will be making this consistently and sharing.
Spot on recipe. Made it with these changes: used shredded carrots (2 large) in place of red pepper; added Sweet Thai Chili Sauce to my serving of salad. Only had 1 lime…definitely needed more lime juice. Dressing was really good and coated the salad perfectly. Thanks for another keeper recipe!
I enjoy your videos very much but even more I love what you cook! Your recipes are always the best for my and my family’s tastes and I rely on you two for inspiration on what to cook. Thank you for being there for us!!!
This is very kind of you, Linda! So happy you have found us!
This is another keeper recipe. The marinated chicken adds such good flavor for so little work. I added two Serrano peppers to give it some heat and I’m looking forward to trying it with a bit of chopped mint next time. I also want to thank you both. I’m cooking almost non-stop from your website. I tend to get a fair bit of company in the summer and I always stress out about meals – and I like to cook! I’m quickly lining up some fail-proof recipes from your site along with ideas on how to do much of the prep work in advance. Now, I can eliminate that worry and just enjoy my friends and family. Truly – thank you!
This comment and review made us smile! 🙂
This was a home run! I made this for dinner tonight and both my husband and I absolutely loved it! Just the right amount of spice, some sweetness and that magical crunch. You were right. Celery makes it special. I will be making this on repeat. Thank you!
Yay! You are so welcome! 🙂
This is so delicious and bursting with flavour. I would make this often for my family. Thank you so much. I love your recipes!!
My husband and I both loved this salad! Crunchy, full of flavor and lots of healthy veggies! My husband said he could eat this salad once a week!
That is the best compliment! 🙂
This was so delicious! I ended up doubling the dressing and it worked out well. One of the best salads I’ve eaten in a long time! 🙂 My boyfriend loved it too. Will definitely bookmark this one.
My family greatly enjoyed this salad, for a lazy day Sunday supper. I think the dressing will be nice on a serving of plain crisp lettuce, on those coming days when it is too hot to cook. Rose B.
So happy you enjoyed it, Rose! Thank you for coming back and letting us know!
I absolutely loved this salad! Sooooo crunchy, mildly hot but sweet, and lots of good vegetables-I can’t wait to make this for my family! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Delicious and easy!
I like this recipe. I used a rotisserie chicken breast and marinated it in the dressing. The only thing I did differently was to double the amount of dressing and I added a teaspoon of sesame oil. The salad was a little dry that first. Great dressing. I am a fan of sesame oil. A little goes a long way so start out with a small amount.
Very good recipe! I added more lime juice, and also diced up jalepeno, green onions.
This was amazing. I will be making this all summer long without a doubt! Thank you for yet again, another great reipe 👍
So happy you enjoyed it, Marla! Thanks for coming back and letting us know.
Love the flavor combinations! It’s simple, healthy and delicious. I always look forward to new recipes you share. I’m going to try making this with soy curls for my vegan friends and maybe marinating in some of the ingredients before cooking. Also, what do you think about using rotisserie chicken, also marinated and then low heat warmed?
Rotisserie chicken is a great option. I’d warm slightly and then add to the creamy dressing.
Love reading your recipes! They are so doable! Thank you!
Wow, Lousie. I am so happy this comes across. Making cooking at home doable is pretty much our mission!
i love your recipes and the loely style in which you present them. So much of who you are comes through and the love that you put into your dishes. I am a seasoned cook as a mother of 6 , now adults, and all the entertaining in my home but find your tips and comments really helpful….thabk you both!
Thank you so much Jocelyn! We hope you try the salad soon! We love it.
This sounds absolutely delicious! Please tell me the potassium and phosphorus levels/numbers because my husband has chronic kidney disease and diabetes and I need to know before I can make it. Thankyou
Your recipes are always interesting and appeal to my appetite.
I have yet to try any of these recipes but the combination of ingredients certainly interest me and I will comment again when I have tried some of them. Thank you for sharing these.