Peanut Chicken Chopped Salad

Just like takeout but better! We’re not gatekeepers here. We love to share something when it’s this good. And this peanut chicken chopped salad is about to become a weekly favorite in your home. Savory nutty Thai-inspired salad is topped with marinated grilled chicken thighs over a chopped cabbage salad that’s tossed a creamy peanut vinaigrette. Its a refreshing crunchy salad perfect for enjoying on a warm day or for a super easy weeknight dinner!

How to marinate peanut chicken…

Marinading the chicken in a creamy peanut butter marinade will add so much flavor and tenderness to the chicken. But you will need to prepare the chicken ahead of time! It is important to marinate the chicken for at least 2 hours. The longer it sits in the marinade, the better the flavor! 

Here’s what you need to do to make the peanut marinade: 

1. In a large bowl, whisk together coconut milk, peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, ginger and rice vinegar. Make sure the marinade is smooth and all ingredients are blended. 
2. Place your chicken thighs in a large gallon-sized storage bag or a large glass container. 
3. Pour the marinade over the chicken, making sure all the chicken is coated in the marinade. 
4. Let the chicken marinate for at least 2 hours. You don’t want the chicken to marinate for longer than 4 hours. The sweet spot is between 2-4 hours.
5. After the chicken has marinaded for a couple hours, your’e ready to grill or bake!

How to make peanut dressing…

This salad dressing is essentially a peanut vinaigrette! The creamy peanut dressing is the finishing touch this salad needs! It is savory, nutty and adds so much flavor to the salad. 

It’s important that vinaigrettes have a good balance of acidity, saltiness and sweetness. And this dressing checks all those boxes. Here’s a super simple way to make thin vinaigrette in just a couple minutes!

• Grab a mason jar. If you don’t have a mason jar on hand, you can also use a sealable, air-tight container. Make sure the seal is air-tight before you shake so you don’t lose any dressing!
• Add vinaigrette ingredients to your jar. 
• Give the jar a good shake to emulsify the mixture. You want to make sure there isn’t separation between your oils. 

Note: If the mixture starts to separate before serving, give the jar a good shake. 

Tips to make this recipe super easy…

• Use a mandolin for chopping cabbage. No one wants to chew large chunks of cabbage! A mandolin will give you the perfect slice size for the chopped cabbage salad. And will save you on chopping time.
• Buy pre-cut shredded carrots. This will save you so much time chopping! 
• Don’t use peanut butter spread. Peanut butter spread has added sugars and oils and will be harder to blend with your marinades and sauces. If you use a natural peanut butter that is made of just peanuts, it will blend together better and taste better!
• Make dressing ahead of time. That way once your chicken is cooked and your salad is chopped, all you have to do is drizzle the dressing over top.

Storing the Peanut Chicken Chopped Salad

After the salad is assembled it will only be good for about 1-2 days max. This salad is best if eaten fresh! Once the dressing is mixed into the salad, it will start to get soggy.

If you are meal prepping this salad or making ahead, do this! 

If you plan to meal prep, we recommend storing all components separately to ensure the salad stays fresh and doesn’t get soggy. 

• Store chopped cabbage, carrots and cilantro in a large air-tight container or plastic bag. 
• Keep your dressing in a mason jar. Remember to shake the jar to blend everything, when you’re ready to use. 
• Store cooked chicken in air-tight container. Reheat the chicken when you’re ready to serve.