Asian Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing is my all-time favorite salad. When eating out, I always used to check for a Thai or Asian-style salad on the menu. I thought they were a healthier option. But when I started back on WW and checked various restaurant version of this in the app, they would be anywhere from 20 to 30 points! For a salad! I’d be better off getting a burger at that point.
After doing some research, it become clear that the problem is all of the sugar and oil that is in many of those dressings. I came up with my own version–Asian Peanut Dressing–that honestly tastes just as good as any version I’ve had out!
Once you’ve got the dressing down, the next step is the chicken. You can marinate and cook your own chicken, as I’ve outlined in the recipe.
However, if you want an even quicker approach, you could just use some rotisserie chicken breast. It’ll only take you about 10 minutes total if you do it that way!
Finally, I like to have something crunchy in a salad like this. Sometimes I’ll use wonton strips, but I mainly use almonds. I love the way they compliment the nutty dressing.
This recipe is perfect for meal prep!
Asian Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing is fabulous for a light lunch or dinner, but I also make it a lot for meal prep. Just assemble your salads without the dressing, then add the dressing when you’re ready to eat. So healthy and delicious!
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you make it, be sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook (@litecravings) and use the hashtag #litecravingsrecipes. I sometimes miss a tag here or there, but I always check in on the hashtag.
Asian Chicken Salad With Peanut Dressing
Ingredients
DRESSING
- 1/2 cup powdered peanut butter
- 3 tbsp soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey or agave
- 1/4 tsp each garlic and ginger powder
- 1-3 tbsp sriracha, depending on how much heat you like
- 1-2 tbsp water to thin out the dressing, only if needed
CHICKEN MARINADE*
- 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 2 large breasts)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey or agave
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp ginger paste (I find this in the tube near the produce at my local market)
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (use less or omit if you don't like spicy food)
SALAD
- 3 cup lettuce of choice, shredded
- 4 cups shredded coleslaw mix
- 1 cup shredded carrot
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 1 cup cooked edamame
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Instructions
- Whisk together dressing ingredients. Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- For the chicken, place all marinade ingredients in a ziploc bag or medium sized bowl. Add in chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour, but preferably over night.
- To cook the chicken, remove from marinade and place on a cookie sheet linked with aluminum foil. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes, depending on the thickness of your chicken. It needs to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Let rest for 5 minutes, then slice thinly
- To assemble salad, toss all vegetables in a large bowl, then divide between 4 salad bowls. Top each bowl with equal parts edamame, chicken, and almonds. Drizzle up to 2 1/2 tbsp dressing over each salad.
This looks amazing! By chance do you calculate calories in some way? Your recipes won’t import into MyFitnessPal recipe builder 🙁
That’s so weird! I’ll have to look into why it won’t import. In the mean time, I’m working on adding nutritional info to all of my recipes. Check back at the end of the week! And all future recipes will have the nutritional info. 🙂
Geri, have you ever used this dressing as a stir fry sauce?
Yes I have, Melissa. It works really well that way! I’ve used it in a tofu and veggies stir fry, but I bet it would be great with chicken or turkey.
Delicious! A ton of food as well