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Crunchy Thai Salad

Crunchy Thai Salad with Sesame Chicken and Peanut Dressing

camptopisaw
This crunchy Thai salad ticks all the boxes -- it's healthy, loaded with flavor and super easy to make! The sweet and tangy peanut dressing is also great as a dipping sauce for chicken skewers or pan fried tofu.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course, Salad
Cuisine Thai
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

  • Chef's knife
  • Ninja or other small blender
  • Nonstick skillet
  • Wide individual salad bowls

Ingredients
  

  • 1 head romaine lettuce substitute 7 oz package pre-washed lettuce
  • 2 cups shredded purple cabbage substitute coleslaw mix
  • 1 cup chopped sweet pepper a combination of colors is best!
  • ½ cup dried cranberries
  • ½ cup dry roasted peanuts
  • 2 cups chow mein noodles this is most of a 5 oz can
  • 1 cup cilantro washed and dried

PEANUT DRESSING

  • 2 ozs peanut butter crunchy or smooth
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp garlic granules substitute garlic powder or 1 small clove garlic
  • 1 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 oz cider vinegar
  • 2 ozs water
  • 8 ozs canola oil substitute other mild vegetable oil

SESAME CHICKEN

  • 1 pound chicken breast or tenders, cut into ½" slices
  • ½ cup canola oil, divided
  • 1/8 tsp pepper
  • ½ tsp garlic granules
  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp cider vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp sesame seed

Instructions
 

  • Wash and dry lettuce (unless you're using a pre-washed mix). Chop or tear lettuce into bite sized pieces and place in a large mixing bowl. There's no hard and fast amount -- just add as much as you'd like to eat!
  • Add the shredded cabbage, peppers, cranberries and peanuts to the bowl.
  • Pour on dressing and toss so that all ingredients are coated with peanutty goodness. The amount of dressing you use will depend on how much lettuce you've use. Just start with about half the dressing and adjust from there.
  • Divide dressed salad between the individual salad bowls, and top with sesame chicken.
  • Create a pile of chow mein noodles on top of each salad -- one handful is roughly equal to ½ cup.
  • Liberally and artistically top with cilantro, and serve!

For the PEANUT DRESSING

  • Place all ingredients in the blender and blend til quite smooth. Pour into a jar or cute serving pitcher and store til needed.

For the CHICKEN

  • Add ⅓ cup canola oil and the rest of the marinade ingredients to a plastic zippered bag, add chicken and let marinate in the fridge for 2 hours.
  • To a nonstick skillet add the remaining oil and place over medium low heat.
  • Remove chicken from the marinade, pat dry on a paper towel, and add to the skillet. Do this in batches so that you're not overcrowding the pan.
  • Cook for approximately 8-10 minutes, turning halfway through cooking, until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160°.
  • Remove from the pan, place on paper towels and sprinkle with sesame seed if desired.
Keyword crunchy, thai