This Asian Chicken Salad with Peanut Sauce is loaded with crisp, fresh vegetables, juicy chicken and a sweet and spicy peanut sauce you will love!
I’ll admit, the first time I had peanut sauce I was a bit skeptical. I love peanut butter, but my vibe is more peanut butter and jelly than peanut butter and sesame oil. However, I was whole-heartedly wrong! This peanut sauce is salty, sweet, and savory.
Why You’ll Love It
- Meal Prep: Because the salad is cabbage based, it is much heartier than lettuce. It will hold up to meal prep much better than a traditional salad. I suggest storing it in an airtight container like this one so your sauce and juicy chicken stay separate
- Versatile: You can switch up the veggies and protein based on what you have and what you like.
- Well-Rounded, Veggie-Packed Recipe: This recipe is packed with so many veggies that it is a wholesome, hearty dish you will enjoy eating. The feast of colors, textures, and flavors is full of vitamins and nutrients.
Ingredients Overview
As always, this is a quick overview of the ingredients needed for this dish. For the complete, printable recipe scroll to the recipe card below.
- Produce: cabbage, red bell pepper, carrots, green onions, edamame, fresh ginger, garlic, and limes.
- Pantry Staples: soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, chili garlic sauce, peanut butter, honey, coconut milk, and rice vinegar.
- Protein: I used boneless skinless chicken breasts, however this dish works well with thighs or tenderloins, too. Feel free to try it with other meats, too!
How to Make Asian Chicken Salad
This recipe includes marinating the chicken in a creamy Thai marinade that adds tons of flavor and a lovely glazed texture. If you’re in a rush, though, feel free to skip that step and use a leftover rotisserie chicken for a quick, healthy meal! Here’s a step-by-step guide:
Marinate the Chicken
Take the can of coconut milk and shake vigorously before opening. Next, combine the coconut milk, peanut butter, lime zest and juice, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, chili garlic sauce and ginger. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Allow the chicken to marinate in the fridge for at least one hour or up to 24 hours.
Make the Salad
Combine the peanut sauce ingredients in a jar and shake until completely combined. In a large bowl combine the salad vegetables and toss to coat. Store the sauce and salad in the fridge while you cook the chicken.
Cook the Chicken
To cook the chicken assemble the marinated chicken on metal skewers and cook in the air fryer at 375 degrees F or the grill at 375 degrees F until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. (Specific cooking times for both methods are listed below in the recipe card.) The last minute of cooking brush the skewers with some of the peanut sauce for major flavor.
Assemble
Toss the salad with half of the peanut sauce, top with the skewers and serve with the remaining peanut sauce for dipping. You can serve the salad with the assembled skewers or remove them if you prefer. Either way it is absolutely delicious and you will love it!
What to serve with this
We love this chicken salad on its own, sprinkled with crushed peanuts, chopped herbs (basil, cilantro, mint, chives, etc.), and sliced scallions. It’s super hearty and is sure to keep you full for hours! If you want to stretch the meal, maybe add a keto dinner roll. Wash it all down with a tangy lemon drop for a refreshing finish!
Store
This salad doesn’t last long once already assembled. If you want to prepare this for meal prep I suggest storing the peanut sauce and cooked chicken separately. A container like this is great because it is airtight but you can keep things separated. If stored separately the salad will last 4 days in the fridge.
The chicken could be frozen (raw in marinade or cooked), so double those ingredients for an easy emergency meal prep! You could set the frozen chicken to thaw in the fridge overnight and pick up fresh salad ingredients on your way home from work, no work involved. Bag individual servings of chicken for simple lunches, too. Chicken will have the best flavor and texture within the first 3 months of freezing.
Other Low Carb Salad Recipes
Recipe FAQ
I find it difficult to describe. If you enjoy Asian dishes you will probably like this. It is savory and sweet at the same time and has a rich, complex flavor. I use this copycat recipe from a (sadly) discontinued Panera salad!
Sure, you can mix in other options like radishes, green bell pepper, savoy cabbage for starters. Play around and see what you like best!
If using a low carb sweetener in the peanut sauce this recipe can be made low carb. The nutrition information is found just below the recipe card.
Asian Chicken Salad with Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade Ingredients
- 1/2 cup full fat canned coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon EACH lime zest and lime juice
- 1 tablespoon EACH soy sauce and toasted sesame seed oil
- 2 teaspoons EACH sweet chili sauce and minced ginger
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast or chicken thighs cut into 1 inch pieces
Peanut Sauce
- 2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
- 2 tbsp sugar-free maple syrup
- 2 tbsp EACH soy sauce and water
- 1 tbsp EACH rice vinegar and toasted sesame oil
- 2 tsp EACH lime juice sweet chili sauce, minced garlic, minced ginger
Asian Salad Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded cabbage I mixed purple and green
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper chopped
- 1/2 cup shredded carrot
- 1/4 cup green onion
- 1/3 cup chopped roasted peanuts
- 1/2 cup shelled edamame
Instructions
Chicken Marinade Directions:
- Combine the canned coconut milk (stir first), zest, lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, chili garlic sauce, and ginger.
- When the marinade is fully combined, add the cubed chicken and toss to coat. Marinate at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
- While the chicken is marinating, combine the peanut sauce ingredients and set aside.
Air Fryer Instructions
- When ready to cook, thread the chicken on 6-inch metal skewers and discard the marinade.
- Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees F for 3 minutes.
- Cook the skewers 5 minutes, flip and brush with the peanut sauce. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Grill Directions:
- When ready to cook, thread the chicken on 6-inch metal skewers and discard the marinade.
- Preheat the grill to 375 degrees F.
- Place the skewers on the hot grill grates and cook 4 minutes, flip and brush with the peanut sauce. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Salad Directions:
- Combine the peanut dressing ingredients in a jar and secure with a lid. Shake the mixture until completely combined.
- Combine the shredded cabbage, purple cabbage, red pepper, carrot, and green onion, and toss.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.
- Fold in the peanuts and edamame and serve immediately.
Notes
- Make sure to use a peanut butter without added sugars to avoid a higher carb count.
- In my experience, the grilled skewers cooked a little faster than the air fryer option. The cooking time will vary depending on how you cut the chicken pieces.
- Shoot for 1-inch cubes so they do not cook too quickly, resulting in dry chicken.
