Warm Thai chicken over a crispy bed of fresh green lettuce with shredded carrots is topped with crunchy peanuts and fresh cilantro. This delicious dinner salad is easy to prep ahead for a quick serving on a busy weeknight.
PREP TIME 5 minutesminutes
COOK TIME 30 minutesminutes
TOTAL TIME 35 minutesminutes
YIELD 6servings
Ingredients
For the Chicken
8boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Kosher salt and black pepper
For the Thai Sauce
1/2cupsweet chili saucefrom the Thai foods department of the grocery store
1/3cupsoy sauce
4tspminced garlic
1tbspfish sauce
1tbspsriracha sauce
2tspsesame oil
1/2tspdried ginger
For the Salad
2headsromaine lettucechopped
1cupshredded carrots
1/3cuppeanutschopped
1handfulfresh cilantrochopped
2limescut into wedges
Instructions
Bake the Chicken
This recipe tastes amazing with freshly baked chicken thighs but this step does add 30 minutes to your cooking time. If you need a faster prep, skip this step and just use a cooked rotisserie chicken instead.
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the chicken thighs in a single layer in a 9x13-inch baking pan. Season with the salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping the chicken over half way through the cooking time. The meat should register 165°F with an instant read probe thermometer.
Prep the Thai Sauce
Measure all the ingredients for the Thai sauce and stir them together in a sauce pan. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring the sauce to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 3 minutes.
Cut the cooked chicken meat into bite-sized pieces. Add the chopped chicken to the saucepan and turn to coat in the sauce. Set aside.
Assemble the Salad
Toss together the chopped romaine and shredded carrots. Divide the salad mix across the serving bowls.
Top each salad with a large spoonful of the Thai chicken mixture and then sprinkle the chopped cilantro and peanuts over the top. Serve lime wedges on the side.
OPTIONAL: Thai chicken salad would taste great with toasted naan breads on the side or crispy wonton strips sprinkled over the top for crunch.
Recipe Notes
Easy Variations
To add even more flavor to your salad, you could also top your dish with: