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!
Pin this now to find it later
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.
Was searching through your recipe index to find something to use up a bunch of leftover cabbage mix and made this last night. IT IS SO DELICIOUS
I’ve made this several times now. Love it as a way to use up half a bag of coleslaw mix that I would otherwise throw away. Veggies are customizable, and the dressing is ?
Thank you Kristin for another wonderful recipe
This salad is amazing! Already in my rotation for lunches, and I like that I can make lunch for two days at once. I could lick this dressing up it’s so good! I do not like peanut butter so I substituted Almond Butter and it’s amazing!
Yeah!!! So glad you loved it and were able to make it work for you, Amy! :D
I am finally going to make this…but I’m craving shrimp so I’m going to sub grilled shrimp for the chicken.
Yes thank good recipe
This is so amazing. It changed my life. I love peanut dressings and sauces. This one is the best I’ve ever had! Thank you!
Made this salad tonight and it was delicious! Instead of just 3 cups though of coleslaw mix, I added the whole 14oz. Bag I had with a little more cilantro and peanuts and it was perfect with the amount of dressing this recipe called for. My husband said it’s a keeper!
This is incredible! My husband doesn’t care for peanut sauces so I used almond butter instead of peanut butter and chopped walnuts. New favorite dinner recipe for us!
This was great! I had to add a little more water since I prefer a more liquid consistency. I would also recommend making ahead of time so flavors could marinade
Just doubled this recipe to take for lunches this week! So good! I also added edamame and snow peas for some added green! yum!
I just made this recipe for lunch and its delicious! My 14 month can’t get enough. Definitely taking the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
Hi, I’m wondering what brand peanuts you use? I have three children with Celiac and I’m always afraid about finding nuts that are GF. Would love to be able to buy peanuts, cashews, etc. at the grocery store instead of online which I know a lot of people do.
GF peanuts are so hard to find! I use the peanuts from Nuts.com’s GF line!
I am not a fan of raw veggies so I sauteed the chicken and lightly sauteed the veggies with the dressing. This was wonderful warm too!!!