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Thai Chicken Salad

July 4, 2013 by Erica 13 Comments

I woke up to distant pops and mini-explosions. July 4th has arrived. I’ll call this summer good already. Unlike most early summers in Seattle this one has brought us sunny skies and summer temperatures way before expected. Good weather is never a guarantee until after July 4th and I’ve been here a few summers when we waited way too long. So here’s a cool crunchy salad with my new favorite Asian-inspired dressing.

This is another salad-as-a-meal for me and you can easily add some brown rice noodles  to the bottom of the bowl if you do rice, or maybe some other grain-free noodle.

On a side note, my furry boy loves all the vegetable scraps that come from making salads like this one. As a young puppy I taught him to have a soft mouth when taking food from human hands and it has paid off handsomely for him. He gently takes the stubs of cabbage, leftover chunks of carrots, and so on, but his favorite is the cucumber ends and skins. He doesn’t seem to like lettuce or softer cabbage leaves. I think it’s all about the crunch for him. Me too.

I’ve added one of my grilling marinades for Asian-style chicken but really any style or type of chicken will work in this salad. You can easily use leftover shredded roasted chicken or other lightly seasoned chicken because the dressing will take the flavors in another direction. I shred the roasted chicken between my fingers for a great texture. I can see this salad being great with grilled shrimp, blackened salmon, or other source of protein.

This recipe was inspired by the crunchy salad over at Pinch of Yum.

Comfy Belly: Thai Chicken Salad

Comfy Belly: Thai Chicken Salad

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Thai Chicken Salad

These days I dial down the strength of flavors in the dressing by reducing the soy and omitting the garlic. Also, you can use any vegetables that are seasonally on hand. To me it's all about the dressing. You can also replace the soy sauce with about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Or use my favorite Thai sauce that doesn't use soy sauce and uses SCD-legal ingredients.
You can store this salad in the refrigerator for a few days and pull it out at a moment's notice. Just dress it right before you're ready to eat it so it stays fresh and crunchy and doesn't become soggy sitting in dressing. I store the dressing in a separate container at room temperature and give it a shake before pouring it on individual salad bowls. You can also sprinkle some sliced toasted almonds or roasted peanuts right before eating or serving it. If you don't eat nuts you can use a seed butter such as sunflower seed or pumpkin seed butter. 
To make the dressing thicker, add another 1/4 cup of almond butter. 
For the dressing, I use almond butter but feel free to use peanut butter or other nut or seed butter. I stay with one Thai chili because they're quite potent but if you're a heat lover add 2 or even 3. If you don't have Thai chilies use a few drops of hot sesame oil or a pinch or so of red pepper flakes.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 508kcal

Ingredients

Grilled Ginger Chicken

  • 2 pounds chicken breasts
  • 2 teaspoons ginger, grated
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon salt or 1 tablespoon of gluten-free tamari sauce or coconut aminos

Thai dressing

  • 2 garlic cloves peeled
  • 1 Thai bird's eye chili or 1/8 teaspoon hot pepper flakes (this is optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce optional
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt or 2 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce or coconut aminos
  • 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1/4 cup unsalted roasted creamy almond butter
  • 1/4 cup water

Crunchy Salad

  • 1 head Nappa or green cabbage shredded (I use a food processor)
  • 1 cup cilantro chopped
  • 1 cup Thai basil chopped
  • 4 large carrots peeled and julienned into thin strips (or use a food processor)
  • 2 red bell peppers (or orange or yellow) chopped or sliced into thin strips
  • 1 cup green onions chopped (about 4 onions)
  • 1/2 cup chopped almonds or peanuts
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Chicken

  • Slice the chicken into strips that will fit across your grill. You can also to pan-fry the chicken.
  • Add the chicken strips to a bowl, add the remaining ingredients to the chicken and marinate for at least 10 minutes. These can also be left in the refrigerator until you're ready to grill.
  • Warm a grill to a medium heat, about 350°F (175°C).
  • Place the chicken on the grill and cook on each side for about 5 minutes or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
  • Cool for a few minutes and then dice up for the salad, or store it in the refrigerator  for later.

Dressing

  • Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend well. You can also blend by hand with a whisk but you'll want to crush the chili separately and then add it to the dressing.
  • Store sealed at room temperature for a week 

Salad

  • Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and blend with a large fork and spoon.
  • Serve individual portions and top with Thai dressing (above).
  • Store covered in the refrigerator for a few days.

Nutrition

Calories: 508kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 53g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 1253mg | Potassium: 1294mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 12932IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 123mg | Iron: 2mg
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Filed Under: Egg Free, Gluten-Free, Lactose Free, Low Sugar, Paleo, Salads, Sauces & Dressings, Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) Tagged With: cabbage, chicken

Previous Post: « Chicken Piccata {grain free}
Next Post: Chocolate Zucchini Bread {coconut flour} »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. MAYA @ MAYA- KITCHENETTE

    February 27, 2015 at 7:01 am

    The chicken salad looks so freaking awesome. LOVE this recipe! 🙂

    Reply
    • Erica

      February 28, 2015 at 2:00 pm

      Thanks! me to

      Reply
  2. Erin

    August 10, 2013 at 8:56 am

    I love this salad! I have to keep myself from making it too often. 🙂 Thanks for another great recipe!

    Reply
    • Erica

      August 10, 2013 at 10:21 am

      I hear you. I’ve been eating the leftovers for breakfast and just the dressing sometimes.

      Reply
  3. kerry hodgkinson

    July 28, 2013 at 1:35 am

    for dinner tonight….sorry not computer savvy lol

    Reply
  4. kerry hodgkinson

    July 28, 2013 at 1:34 am

    just found your site….loving the recipes….and the dedication…..thankx for making life easier. thaii chicken salad followed by banana bread……yum yum

    Reply
    • Erica

      July 28, 2013 at 10:38 am

      sounds good to me!

      Reply
  5. Irina @ wandercrush

    July 15, 2013 at 4:58 pm

    I just got back from Thailand and already crave those flavours! They shine through particularly well in salads… thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply
    • Erica

      July 16, 2013 at 8:16 pm

      Nice! Yes, love Thai flavors.

      Reply
  6. megan s.

    July 10, 2013 at 7:58 am

    Cute Aussie!! I have a 9-month-old red merle that looks exactly like a younger version of your dog! Oh, and yummy-looking salad too 🙂

    Reply
    • Erica

      July 10, 2013 at 8:20 am

      Sweet! Thanks.

      Reply

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Measurement equivalents

1 tablespoon 3 teaspoons
1/4 cup 4 tablespoons
1 cup 8 ounces
1 teaspoon 5 ml
1 tablespoon 15 ml

Temperature conversions

Gas Mark Fahrenheit Celsius
  1/4  225  110
  1/2  250  130
    1  275  140
    2  300  150
    3  325  170
    4  350  180
    5  375  190
    6  400  200
    7  425  220
    8  450  230
    9  475  240

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I create recipes using simple, nutrient-dense ingredients, staying as close to the earth as possible.

One of my boys was diagnosed with Crohn’s, which inspired me to start Comfy Belly, and create recipes to share my love of good, healthy food. Read More →

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