Get your taste buds dancing with this bright Thai Chicken Salad! The zesty Thai chilli lime dressing with the signature South East Asian balance of sweet-sour-savoury and a little heat from chilli will make any salad exciting!
A THAI CHICKEN SALAD WITH BIG FLAVOURS!
Yowzer! This is about as far as you can get from bland, boring salads. I’m a huge fan of Asian salads because they are typically much lighter and fresher than many Western ones, and the dressings pack a great flavour punch.
And this one is no exception. It’s a chilli-lime Thai dressing that has that South East Asian signature sweet-salty-tangy balance with a little buzz of heat from chilli.
I know it looks really spicy because it’s red. But actually, it’s not that spicy because I make this using a store bought Chilli Garlic Sauce. You won’t find me eating this by the spoonful but actually, it’s not that spicy, it looks more dangerous than it is in reality. Go on, have a taste test! 1 teaspoon of this doesn’t even have the same amount of spiciness as 1 Thai or Birds Eye Chilli.
Chilli Garlic Sauce is a terrific trick for thickening dressings / sauces in the same way mustard does in Western dressings, as well as adding spiciness / garlic + some tang because it’s not just made with garlic and chilli. It’s pretty common nowadays, sold at all the supermarkets here in Australia in the Asian section. But don’t worry if you can’t find it, I’ve provided plenty of alternatives in the recipe (Sriracha, hot sauce (even Frank’s), fresh chillies, chilli paste, sambal oelak – loads of options!).
Ah yes, I almost forgot. The spice-adverse may be alarmed to see yet more chillies in the photo above – the finely sliced red chillies.
But fear not! Firstly, they are large red chillies that actually aren’t that spicy at all. Rule of thumb is: the larger the chilli, the less spicy they are, the smaller they are, the spicier they are.
Secondly, yes the finely julienned red chillies add a touch more heat into this salad and it looks pretty, but it’s not a deal breaker just to leave them out. I often do (mainly because I can’t be bothered with the extra chopping action!)
I honestly would not classify this salad as really spicy. The dressing is warm rather than spicy and I barely notice the fresh chilli tossed through the salad. If this was on a restaurant menu that had a spiciness indicator in the form of chilli icons, with 1 chilli being mild and 3 chillies being “blow your head off” spicy, this would be a 1 chilli dish.
You won’t be wiping sweat beads off your forehead and guzzling ice water / beer, cursing me silently (or out loud). 😉 Promise! – Nagi x
MORE CHICKEN SALADS YOU’LL LOVE
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More giant Salads for Meals
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Thai Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 180 - 220 g / 6 -7oz chicken breast
Salad:
- 150 g / 5 oz mixed lettuce leaves (or other of choice)
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes , halved
- 1 small cucumber , sliced
- 1/4 red onion , finely sliced
- 1/2 large red chilli , deseeded and very finely sliced (Note 1)
- 1/2 cup roasted cashews , unsalted preferred
- 1/4 cup coriander / cilantro leaves
Thai Chilli Lime Dressing:
- 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander/cilantro stems (see video)
- 1 1/2 tsp Chilli Garlic Sauce (Note 2)
- 1 small garlic , minced
- 1 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice (or rice vinegar)
- 2 tsp fish sauce (Note 3)
- 1 tbsp canola oil (or vegetable, grapeseed or other neutral oil)
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar (any, I use white)
Instructions
Chicken:
- Take the chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.
- Boil water in a saucepan. Add chicken, put the lid on, let the water come back up to a simmer, then remove from stove. Set aside for 20 minutes (even up to 45 min is fine). (Note 4)
- Remove chicken from water and shred, then cool.
Dressing:
- Place ingredients in a jar. Shake well. Taste and adjust as required. It should be a balance of tangy / sweet / salty / hint of spice. (Note 5)
Salad:
- Place Salad ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle over most of the Dressing, toss. Serve immediately, drizzled with remaining Dressing.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
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I was so impressed with myself for making something so tasty, even my daughter who is the salad queen really enjoyed it. This is a regular for my household now. Thank you so much
Sooooo good!! Recipe makes enough for 2 big adult serves. We’ve made it twice now, once with poached chicken and once with leftover roast chicken. Both delish. Also just subbed chilli sauce for sweet chilli
A friend made this for lunch with the vegetable frittata. I loved both so much I immediately signed up and am now searching all these amazing recipes!
I love this salad and make it for friends and family but can’t eat it myself because of the sugar in the dressing and I am allegic to the sugar. Is their something i change the sugar with to get the correct balance?
Hi Robyn, are you able to have honey or another sweetener like that? N x
Hi Nagi, just wondering if you have ever tried this recipe with Laoganma Chilli Sauce with Diced chicken condiment?
I haven’t Haylie! N x
Hello, would love to try this dish! Any suggestions on what to go along with this dish for a small dinner party? Thanks!
Hi J – are you serving this on the side or as a main? What about a curry & some coconut rice? N x
as a side, I was thinking a Thai green curry but wasn’t sure if it was too contrasting. But I’ll give it a try, together with coconut rice. Thanks.
AMAZING- this is the best salad I have ever made. Thank you for another household favourite to add to my growing list lol!
Sooooo good, so easy, and as a bonus, extremely healthy.
Hi, what if I don’t have roasted cashew nuts at hand
Try peanuts Hau! N x
Nagi, (#masterchef)😉
THANKYOU🙏 so much for all your beautiful recipes… totally addicted to #recipetineats and of course #lifeofdozer. Your my go to site for easy but totally fabulous gastronomic indulgence. ❤
Potentially a strange question.. due to medical treatment I am undergoing I can’t touch lettuce of any type, stone fruits and berries are also out, just to name a few things I have to negotiate around… I was curious if you think this type of recipe could work with different salad ingredients in order to make up for the missing flavor of lettuce…
Also could duck meat work instead of chicken ? Or am I getting too elaborate for my own good..
Absolutely love your site, and it has been a huge goto for me in my cooking in order to work around my dietary needs in regards to my treatment..
Hi Rob, You sure can sub the lettuce with any other vegetables to make up a salad – it would be great with duck too! N x
Absolutely awesome. Only way to get husband to eat a salad for dinner :). Real tasty. So easy. Will become a firm favourite.
You’ve totally converted him Lynne!!
Another winning recipe for me! I was so skeptical about the poaching of the chicken but it turned out so good! I used canola oil & the taste was quite strong so next time I think I’ll use olive.
I’m so glad you loved it Rebecca, you can definitely substitute any oil you prefer. N x
It was WAAAYYY too hot today to cook so I made this salad but bought a chook from our local chicken shop. Another big hit and managed to save an undressed portion for lunch tomorrow. I accidentally put soy and fish sauce in the dressing, it still tasted great.
It was a stinker yesterday wasn’t it Carol?! I often shortcut by using a BBQ chook – I’m so glad you loved this recipe! N x
Nagi – I love this recipe but would like to make it with a seafood mix – squid, prawns etc. I’m guessing it might be best to stir-fry the seafood rather than poaching it?
Hi Dara, yes – I’d fry the seafood instead 🙂
Thank you! Happy New Year to you from NZ (and to Dozer too of course!)
Loved this, I bought a commercial dressing and made yours as well.
Yours was much better, in my opinion, but daughter 2 says coriander tastes of soap.
She preferred the bought one.
Great recipe for a hot day. I added rice noodles and have enough for lunch as well.
Some people love it and some people just hate it Jennifer!! I’m so glad you enjoyed the salad though 🙂
I have 2 friends who complain that cilantro tastes like soap. Both have Norwegian backgrounds and one claims there is a specific gene which causes them to taste cilantro as soap. I adore cilantro. If I cook anything for them which contains cilantro, I don’t put the cilantro in the dish, but supply it in a separate bowl so each can add as desired. Nagi, your recipes are awesome!
all i can say is O.M.G !! this recipe is amazing. I did tweak it a little as i didn’t have everything on hand, but it still tasted great. This is the 3rd night in a row now that i’ve made something for dinner of this site. The thing i love the most about these recipes is that you don’t need to spend ours in the kitchen preparing them and the flavours are just divine. Thank-you for introducing me to you amazing foodie world and recipes xo
Thanks so much Nikki, I really enjoy hearing what people think of my recipes!
Another delicious recipe Nagi!! Usually I only look up recipes for inspiration but your website is the exception, I have at least 10 of your recipes on constant rotation and they are all absolutely delicious!
Added bonus you have an adorable dog!
Thanks again!
Hi Nagi. Another perfect dish! It is very hot here so this salad was ideal for dinner. Served with home made tortillas, this was a real hit with no leftovers to pack for the lunches. I used roasted peanuts as I didn’t have cashews but kept all other ingredients. Thanks to you my family is now super excited at dinnertime to sample a new recipe from your blog at least 3 times a week.
Perfect Desiree!!