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
- Healthy Chickpea Salad
- 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.
This recipe is seriously so good! I always wanted to learn the secret of a Thai dressing. This is now one of my regulars. Thanks so much for sharing!
Amazing!
I have been following Iowagirleats.com for the last 6 years… And you have yet to disappoint.
This was easy, good, quick, AND I already had all the ingredients in my fridge!
My husband loved it because it was filling and the dressing tasted like his favorite dish from Big Bowl = score!
Thanks again!
My son is allergic to sesame. do you recommend any substitute? would it taste good if i skip sesame completely..it looks so yummm
Oh darn it! I would give it a try without the sesame oil – it should still taste good!
Aaaaand you’ve done it again, another winner! Made this as a mason jar salad for my work lunches and I can’t wait for tomorrow’s lunch! I used cashew butter and cashews instead of peanuts, as we have an allergy in the house, but this is Definitely going in the regular rotation!
I made this for dinner last night and it turned out great! I swapped stir-fry sauce for the soy sauce as I didn’t have any. Brought leftovers to lunch and really enjoyed it again. Will be making this again soon!
SERIOUSLY almost drank the last drops of dressing from the jar. Your take-out recipes are some of my absolute favorites! In my area we do not have a huge amount of Asian restaurant choices and this hands-down beat what I’ve had. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for your great review, Jenn! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
This sounds right up my alley. Can’t wait to try it!
This salad was so yummy! Thanks for sharing the recipe :)
I am drooling over this salad. We have 3 with Celiacs in our home. Thank you so much for the recipes!
so excited to try this! i have the dressing prepped and chicken shredding in the crockpot <3
Can’t wait to make it tonight.
What would the calorie intake per serve be ?
My family loved this and my kids ages 17, 15 and 10 are terribly picky. Thank you for this amazing recipe.