My Thai Chicken Salad
I looked at several recipes online and liked elements of some but not others. This one has worked for my family in summer; this is one of those go-to recipes that I know will be well received.
I looked at several recipes online and liked elements of some but not others. This one has worked for my family in summer; this is one of those go-to recipes that I know will be well received.
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 lime juiced
- 3 cups chicken cooked and shredded
- 1 appx lb bag cole slaw mix
- 1 papaya sliced thinly
- 1 cucumber jullienned seeds removed or english cucumber
- 4 baby bok choy
- 2 red bell pepper julienned
- 1 bunch green onion greens only julienned
- .25 cup red wine vinegar
- ,25 cup creamy peanut butter
- .50 cup sliced almonds divided save .25 to top servings
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce reduced sodium is great
- .5 cups fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
- .25 cup olive oil
- ,5 teaspoon crushed red peppers
- Carbohydrate 12.0421137665599 g
- Cholesterol 63 mg
- Fat 17.6854324196527 g
- Fiber 3.47767380100161 g
- Protein 19.4876767063724 g
- Saturated Fat 4.12978973639266 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (253g)
- Sodium 245.030665202427 mg
- Sugar 8.56443996555829 g
- Trans Fat 1.43546847535118 g
- Calories 280 calories
Step-by-step
- For dressing, I used a food processor but you could easily in a bowl whisk together vinegar, soy, garlic, lime juice, peanut butter, fish sauce, chili garlic sauce, crushed red peppers and olive oil.
- Shred chicken I used rotisserie chicken breast.
- Put it into the dressing.
- Prep all the veggies.
- In large bowl mixed the dressed meat into all the veggies.
- Mix well and refrigerate before serving.
- At least a couple hours but this one is fantastic the next day.
Ingredient quantities alone fail to reveal how physical preparation dictates texture in raw vegetable slaws. When preparing cucumbers, removing the watery seed core prevents the dressing from becoming diluted, while julienning red bell peppers to a consistent thickness ensures they distribute evenly rather than dominating individual bites. Mandoline slicing yields uniform pieces that hold their crunch under the weight of a heavy emulsion.
Emulsifying the dressing in a food processor thoroughly breaks down the garlic cloves and disperses the creamy peanut butter into the olive oil and red wine vinegar. Using fresh garlic provides an assertive, sulfurous bite that bottled minced garlic simply cannot replicate, pairing sharply with the bright acidity of freshly squeezed lime juice. Preserved condiments like fish sauce and chili garlic sauce supply essential depth through controlled fermentation and capsaicin heat, balancing the natural sweetness of sliced papaya.
Soaking the shredded cooked chicken directly in the finished dressing allows the lean meat to absorb moisture before it meets the crisp vegetables. Rotisserie chicken breast provides a reliable baseline, but raw chicken breasts poached gently in simmering water at 170 degrees Fahrenheit will yield a cleaner flavor profile without the heavy sodium footprint of commercially roasted birds.
Allowing the assembled salad to rest in the refrigerator for at least two hours melds the flavors and softens the dense cabbage fibers of the coleslaw mix. Because raw vegetables release water over time, this salad maintains optimal structural integrity for up to 48 hours in cold storage, though freezing is strictly discouraged due to the high water content of cucumbers and leafy herbs.
