Thai Crunch Salad with Peanut Dressing is a light and healthy salad recipe that's packed with craveable flavor and crunch!
“Restaurant quality delicious! My husband and I couldn’t stop eating it. So simple and the dressing was fabulous.”
Raise your hand if you’re craving something fresh, healthy, and NOT made entirely from butter and/or sugar?
Man I love the holidays but over the past few weeks I have eaten crazy amounts of sugar cookies, plenty of Puppy Chow and boatloads of bark. It’s been fun but right now all I want to do is eat a MASSIVE salad. The little boys and I were at my parent’s house yesterday where I made Lincoln a healthy snack of sliced apples and peanut butter…then sat down and chowed down on Lay’s potato chips. #WHY My point is, unhealthy habits beget unhealthy habits and this freight train needs to be stopped.
Thai Crunch Salad with Peanut Dressing is just the thing to do it!
Watch How to Make It
Crispy coleslaw mix is combined with green onions, red bell pepper, cilantro, peanuts, and chicken then tossed with an easy Thai Peanut Dressing that I had to double the amounts for in the final recipe because I spoon drank too much and didn’t have enough left to dress the salad with.
What can I say, self control is not one of my strengths.
This healthy salad recipe is super crunchy and filling, plus if you’re a fan of mason jar salads – these work beautifully! Scoop several Tablespoons of the dressing into the bottom of a 16oz mason jar then layer in coleslaw > red pepper > chicken > green onions > peanuts > cilantro. Pour onto a plate at lunchtime, and you’re set. Let’s do this!
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Pin ItHow to Make Thai Crunch Salad
Start by adding bagged coleslaw mix (green cabbage, red cabbage, and carrots,) chopped cilantro, peanuts, and green onions, plus red bell pepper cut into matchsticks, and shredded chicken breast into a large bowl. I poached my chicken breast for about 10 minutes before shredding, but you can cook it any way you like and/or use rotisserie chicken.
How to Make Peanut Dressing
To a mason jar or small bowl add peanut butter, honey, warm water, gluten-free Tamari, rice vinegar, lime juice, toasted sesame seeds, sesame oil, ground ginger, fresh garlic, salt, and pepper then shake or whisk to combine. Whew! Sounds like a lot of ingredients but I always have everything in the house.
Drizzle the dressing on top then toss well and scoop into two bowls with extra lime wedges for drizzling.
I hope you love this fresh and healthy, yet fun and filling salad – enjoy!
More Fork Busting Salad Recipes
- Italian Quinoa Salad
- Chicken Caesar Salad Pasta
- Big Mac Salad
- Jennifer Aniston Salad
- Italian Sub Salad
- Southwestern Chopped Salad
- Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups coleslaw mix, green cabbage, red cabbage, carrot mix
- 1/2 red pepper, sliced into thin matchsticks
- 1 chicken breast, cooked then shredded
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 3 Tablespoons peanuts, finely chopped
- 3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
For the Thai Peanut Dressing:
- 4 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 2 Tablespoons hot water
- 1-1/2 Tablespoons gluten free reduced-sodium Tamari, or soy sauce if not GF
- 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1/2 lime, slice remaining 1/2 lime into wedges
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon heaping ground ginger
- 1 large or 2 small cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
- salt and pepper
Directions
- Add ingredients for Thai Peanut Dressing into bowl then whisk to combine. Taste then adjust lime juice for more acid, and/or add water to thin if necessary.
- Add remaining ingredients into a large bowl. Drizzle desired amount of dressing on top then toss well to combine. Scoop into bowls then serve with lime wedges.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Can the extra dressing be kept out or should it be refrigerated?
Yes, and yes, Lori! :)
Made this salad-it is soooooo goood!!
Ahh, I’m so glad you loved it, Crystal! Thanks so much for your feedback!
I absolutely loved this salad and the dressing is delicious! I used a rotisserie chicken so it was extra easy to put together. I’ll be making this again soon!
Can you post the nutritional information. especially for the dressing? I’m on Keto and just want to adjust if I need to. Thanks so much!
PS: I just made this tonight but won’t be indulging until tomorrow with friends. It smells and looks delicious!
I have made this salad several times and it is one of my favorites! I don’t add the ginger to the dressing as I’m allergic to it, but, I think the dressing is delicious with out it.
Oh I’m glad to hear that, Sherry! Happy you’re able to tailor it to meet your needs. Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
What are the crunchy things that look like wonton strips? No mention of this ingredient in the text.
Hi Jodi! I’m not sure which picture you’re looking at specifically, but it’s either cabbage or chicken. There’s no wonton strips in here – they aren’t gluten free. That said, if you don’t need to eat GF, they’d be delicious inside!
I see them, too, in the photos. So I specifically looked at the recipe to see what GF brand they might be.
Joanne, I can assure you there are no wonton strips in these photos (just shredded chicken and cabbage that may appear to be wonton strips, though I don’t see it!) At any rate, if you’d like to add them on, please feel free. I personally am not aware of any GF brands of wonton strips though!
Restaurant quality delicious! My husband and I couldn’t stop eating it. So simple and the dressing was fabulous.
I’m thrilled to hear this, Amanda!