Chopped Thai Crunch Salad with Sweet and Spicy Dressing
A healthy chopped Thai salad full of fresh vegetables, tender chicken, and tossed with a Thai vinaigrette and a creamy spicy peanut dressing.
This salad is my nirvana. It completes me. I hate to pigeon hole myself here but if I had to buckle down and choose a perfect meal, this would be it.
That will all change the next time I eat something fabulous, of course, but today? It’s this.
Brian made this for me on Mother’s day last month (the kids had a heyday helping chop everything up) and I’ve already made it several times since, tweaking little things about it here and there.
It’s definitely one of those meals that I could eat day after day and maybe only start to get sick of on day #64 (kind of like these Thai Crunch Wraps I waxed poetic about earlier this year; I’m sensing a theme here). I’ve been on the search for a really great chopped Thai chicken salad – reminiscent of the one I’ve gotten in the past at Panera when I lived closer than 100 miles away – and this is most definitely, 100% it and dare I say, even better.
It is just so crazy good. Every bite is filled with bursts of flavor and texture and crunch, crunch, crunch.
Above the beauty (isn’t it gorgeous?), you also get two layers of dressing: a light, tangy, sweet vinaigrette that’s tossed with all the salad ingredients and another level of yumminess with the creamy, slightly sweet and spicy peanut dressing that is drizzled over the top (and if spice scares you, the spice is pretty minimal here; but wowee, that peanut dressing makes this salad stellar).
Don’t let the long list of ingredients turn you away – both dressings can be made in advance and everything else is just chopping, marinading and chopping some more.
There’s a lot of chop factor in this chopped salad, obviously.
Loaded with crunchy vegetables, while I love them all, I always find myself digging for those delicious edamame morsels and maybe, once or twice or a dozen times, snatching stray edamame from my kids’ plates. You know, just so nothing goes to waste.
PS: For those of you with younger kids, I know that sometimes salad-for-dinner can be tricky. It took a while of salad training (i.e. eating salad for dinner for a month straight) so my kids would actually eat it as the main course and not just pick at it.
Serving it with a bread/roll option helps, too, but this is definitely a hearty salad that fills all of us up and gives my kids a lot of ways to count their colors.
What to Serve With This
*This is a pretty complete meal with all the vegetables and chicken so I keep the side(s) pretty simple*
Pao de Queijo or other dinner roll
One Year Ago: Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies
Two Years Ago: Healthy Banana Bran Muffins
Three Years Ago: Key Lime Bars
Chopped Thai Crunch Salad with Sweet and Spicy Dressing
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice, from about 1 lime
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
Vinaigrette:
- 4 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 4 tablespoons sweet Thai chili sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- Salt and pepper, pinch of each
Peanut Dressing:
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Thai sweet chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons very hot water, plus more as needed
Salad:
- 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 2 cups chopped napa cabbage
- 1 cup chopped red cabbage
- 1 cup diced cucumber, peeled or not
- 1 cup edamame
- 1 cup small diced carrots
- 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 4 green onions, white and green parts finely chopped
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
- Peanuts for topping, optional
Instructions
- For the chicken, whisk together the oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, salt and pepper. Place the chicken in a ziploc bag or shallow dish and cover with the marinade. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or up to 24 hours (the longer it marinates, the better the flavor). Remove the chicken from the marinade and grill 6-7 minutes per side. Remove to a plate and let cool. Chop into bite-sized pieces.
- For the vinaigrette, combine all the ingredients in a liquid measure or small mason jar and whisk (or shake) until well combined. Refrigerate until ready to use. The dressing can be made up to a week in advance.
- For the peanut dressing, whisk together (or again, shake in a mason jar), all the ingredients until well combined. Add additional hot water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dressing is smooth and thin enough to drizzle.
- In a large bowl, toss together all of the salad ingredients with the cooled and chopped chicken. Pour the vinaigrette over the top and toss until the ingredients are coated with the dressing.
- Serve the salad with the peanut dressing on the side to drizzle on top.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from Kitchen Escapades by way of Taste and Tell (I reduced the oil and cut out the sugar in the marinade, used a different combination of ingredients for the marinade and added soy sauce, cut out the sugar in the vinaigrette and the oil in the peanut sauce, using hot water instead to thin it out)
This salad is on my menu for next week but I intend to substitute almond butter in place of the peanut butter since peanuts are not my friends. Wish me luck! Your recipe looks fabulous!
Loved this! Great recipe. I could drink the peanut sauce.
I made this for the first time last night for dinner for my boyfriend and I. It was absolutely delicious!! It did require a bit of time to make because of all the chopping but the effort was well worth it. I can’t wait to have some leftovers for lunch today…my co-workers will be so jealous of the beautiful salad that I’ll be snarfing down! Thanks for the great recipe!
Oh My Lanta!! Best salad I have ever eaten! My family loved it and I’ve already commanded my mother and sisters to make this salad. Thanks so much for the fantastic recipe.
I’ve had my eye on this salad since you posted it and finally made it tonight. It was so good! I topped it with chopped peanuts. Seriously so yummy! Thank you, Mel!
We had this last night for dinner- it was soooo good! Thank you for the day in/ day out inspiration! We live in Maine and were needing a little winter mega-veggie pick me up.
I had seen this the other day: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/01/issan-thai-pork-rind-herb-salad-recipe.html
So I detoured into a convenience store & picked up a pack of pork rinds to serve in addition to the chicken.
I served all the ingredients separate from dressing on platters so everyone could ‘build their own’ and I made your dressings (so delish & kid friendly!) and the one from the link (for grow ups- it’s got a little kick). The pork rinds were a surprisingly awesome addition- just that little touch of junky crunch made an incredible amount of raw veg disappear with glee.
Thanks again for this site, Mel! It’s such a terrific resource. I’ve been using your menu planner template (New Years resolution) to get a better handle on dinner…
I’ve made this 3 times in the last month! I make a big bowl and eat it all week. I love, love, love, it! My husband enjoys it too (but not everyday like I do 😀 ). Thanks for another great one!
Hi Mel,
I have never posted a comment on anything, anywhere! However, I discovered you through a blog (sorry, can’t remember which one) and have been trying your recipes ever since. I absolutely LOVE every single one of them. Tonight, I made this salad and I felt so good about serving it to my family–so fresh and full of healthy ingredients! My husband was going on and on about it–couldn’t stop eating it. And, the way I know it’s good is when I said, “This could be served in a restaurant.” For me, salads are always better in a restaurant. Not anymore!!! I also LOVE your Greek, pita, feta salad. I have made it several times. Thank you so much for your great recipes! Tomorrow night, spaghetti pie….
I lovvved this recipe so much, I made it twice in one week. My daughter is a vegetarian, so did not add the chicken. We both ate it like starvin’ Marvins.
Made this last week and loved it. I happened to have some sunflower seeds around so I threw those in, too. The only down side was that my husband hogged the peanut dressing — I should have known he would and made more to begin with!
Yummy! My two-year-old and I loved this! The rest of my family thought it was okay but I’ll be making it again for my little buddy and me. Next time, I think I’ll add some chow mein noodles. The rest of them might like it better that way.
Mel,
I wanted more crunch and there was no daikon to be found, but I diced up some jicama and it was lovely. I am not sure if you allow white to count as a color or not but, we loved it.
Have you made your own sweet chili sauce? I used She Simmers recipe: http://shesimmers.com/2009/02/how-to-make-thai-sweet-chili-dipping.html
I caught my man eating it by the spoonful and he wanted a dinner composed of Things You Can Dip in Thai Sweet Chili Sauce. And I couldn’t fault him for that.
Thank you so much for all the work you do and being so generous and willing to share.
Jenny – Thank you for the homemade sweet chili sauce info. Awesome!
I made this for dinner last night and it was fantastic. I omitted the cilantro because the kids don’t like it. I served it with scallion pancakes and it made a great meal for a hot summer night. The peanut dressing is extra tasty!
Absolutely delicious!! Perfect summer meal – thanks for always being my go-to food blog.
I made this last night for some friends we invited to dinner and it was so delicious!!! Everyone was raving. I didn’t add the cilantro or green onions because my husband doesn’t like them. My two-year-old twins were literally crying this afternoon when I told them all the leftovers were gone. Thanks for another fabulous/healthy recipe.
FYI, my lettuce went bad before I could throw this salad together but I made some rice and threw it all into a tortilla. AMAZING (and a great dinner save). 🙂
Amazing!! Made this for dinner tonight and everyone loved it. It’s so flavorful. How long would this last in the fridge for?
Hi Linsey – I’ve eaten the leftovers for several days (it keeps a bit better if both dressings are kept separate).
I made this tonight and it was fantastic! Loved the flavors and crunch, they work perfectly together and will become a summer staple in our house.
Hi Mel, I love your site! Can you suggest another way to cook the chicken other than grilling? Unfortunately I live in NYC and don’t have a grill. Thanks! Liz.
Hi Liz – you could cook the chicken up in a skillet (similar to this method without shredding it at the end) or broil it in the oven.
We’ll be trying this recipe this weekend…thanks so much Mel.
I’d so love it if you could someday do a week or two just on delicious, main-course salads. My family is trying to eat salads more and more, and our kids are starting to like them, and when you post salads they’re always creative and different and delicious. I want more of them!!
Anyway, just an idea…we’re really looking forward to marinating the chicken today and eating the salad for dinner tomorrow!
Ruth
Thanks for the recommendation for main dish salad ideas, Ruth! In the meantime, here are the main dish salads we love:
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/category/main-dish-salad/
Thanks Mel…I’ll check those out.
Ruth
made this last night and LOVE it. Can’t wait to eat the leftovers today. Thanks for sharing! I felt so great about myself buying cabbage. Not typically on my shopping list.
OH MEL!!!! You were SO right! This is FABULOUS!!! Where in the world did you find this recipe? Yes, I did half this recipe and it was plenty for two with a bit leftover for a midnight snack. Many thanks.
This looks wonderful, but unfortunately, where I live, it would be cost-prohibitive to buy all these ingredients. Bummer.
Just made this tonight. Amazing! Thank you.
Although I visit your blog daily, I rarely comment. However, after making and eating this salad I had to tell you thank you for this amazing recipe. I’ve had great success with every recipe of yours I’ve tried, but I loved this so much, I may never have to eat another thing. Also, when I was crunched for time, I just ran to the grocery store and filled up a container from the salad bar. Everything came together in a snap.
Thank you, Celeste! I’m so happy you and others (thanks to all of you who have left comments, too!) have loved this salad.
I made this last night for dinner, and it was so delicious that I woke up today already planning to eat the leftovers for breakfast! Who knew salad could be such an exciting way to start off the day? I loved all the crunchy components, and the dressings are both so tasty! Thanks for sharing another great recipe!
Ok .. I need suggestions on where to buy edamame… I haven’t had luck finding it in my little town… Is this in the salad recipe fresh, frozen, from a bag or canned? The only thing I could find was dried, with salt… I don’t think that’s what this is in the recipe. I only have a Walmart … that often doesn’t have what i’m looking for.. and a small town grocery store… I’m sure i’m going to have to get it the next time I’m in the city (an hour 1/2 away) But I need to know if it’s something I buy fresh or in some other form? Thanks.. I really want to make this!!! And I want to add the edameme
Helen – Hi Helen, I have a pretty small town store too and was thrilled when they started carrying it. I find it in small bags in the frozen section next to the peas and such. The kind I find comes in the shell so I let it thaw and then pop it out of the pod and throw it in the salad (no cooking).
This salad was amazing!!! I made it the same day as I saw your post and the whole family loved it – we will be enjoying this a lot over the summer!! The only change I made was to roast the red pepper, carrot, and edamame under the broiler. Thanks so much for the amazing recipe!
Not familiar with edamame but I bought a bag of frozen shelled edamame. Do I just thaw it and put it in the salad or do I steam it in the microwave, cool it and then add it to the salad? Need your expertise!
Cindy – I just thaw, pat dry if needed and toss it in.
We had this for dinner tonight! It was SO DELICIOUS! Everyone rated it a 10 out of 10! Including my 7 year old daughter. I know we will be making this often especially to use up leftover meat.
Hi Mel!
I am in love with your blog and use it as my reference for our dinner menu about 6 times out of the week! But I am having trouble loading one recipe I’ve been dying to try.. The chicken and vegetable dumpling soup. I don’t know if it’s a glitch only I experience or something wrong with the website but I have tried using other devices and it always crashes every time I try opening it. Is this just me? Thanks.
Sarah
Sarah – Try the recipe again and see if it loads, it is working for me? Just in case it doesn’t though here is the recipe:
Chicken and Vegetable Dumpling Soup:
Ingredients
Chicken and broth:
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
2-3 chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
Vegetables:
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 large carrots (6-7 baby carrots), chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup frozen peas
Dumplings:
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme or sage
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
Directions
1. In a large pot, boil the chicken broth, water and chicken breasts until the chicken is cooked through
and tender (about 15 minutes). Remove the chicken from the pot, reserving the broth in the pot, and
shred the chicken with two forks. Set the chicken aside and keep the broth warm on the stove.
2. While the chicken is boiling, in a large skillet, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat.
When the oil is hot, add the celery, carrots and onions. Saute for about 6-7 minutes until the
vegetables are tender. Add the vegetables to the hot broth in the pot after the chicken has been
removed. Add salt, thyme and pepper to the vegetable/broth mixture and stir to combine. Heat the
soup to a simmer.
3. In a small bowl, blend ½ cup cold water and 1/4 cup flour with a wire whisk until smooth. Whisking
vigorously, slowly add the flour mixture into the hot vegetables and broth and whisk until well
combined. Add ½ cup frozen peas and the reserved chicken and cook, stirring gently for one
minute.
4. For the dumplings, in a medium bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine
sour cream, milk and oil. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until
combined (don’t overmix, it is ok if there are a few dry spots of flour here and there).
5. Heat the soup to boiling and drop teaspoonful amounts (the dumplings should be fairly small, they’ll
expand while cooking) of dumpling dough into the boiling soup, covering the entire surface of the
soup (don’t make more than one layer of dumplings). Reduce the heat to simmering, cover and let
the dumplings cook for 15 minutes. Do not lift the lid of the pot while the dumplings cook.
6. When the dumplings have cooked fully, remove the lid and gently stir the dumplings to break them apart. Serve.
Stunning! Will be Thursday night’s dinner (my husband works out of state and makes a 6-hour drive home and likes a lighter dinner). My question (and if it’s in the recipe, please forgive me….I’m the worst at looking right at something and not seeing it!), about how many servings does this make?
Thanks, AGAIN, Mel! You inspire me!
Pauline – I’d say this serves 6 adults moderately. It feeds our 2 adult, 5 kid family with a bit leftover. Serving it with a roll or bread of some sort helps it go further.
Mel, this looks awesome! I’m a huge fan of salads for dinner, especially chopped salads.
My teen daughters love this kind of dinner. We all licked the bowl. This is a keeper.
OMG OMG OMG
The most amazing salad EVER …….!!!!!!!!
Beautiful Thai Crunch Salad recipe!
Thank you for all that you do!
Pinned!
K-
You are officially my hero! My current salad obsession is the thai chicken from Panera and I’ve day dreamed of making it myself…and now, I can!
Oh yes please. I can tell I’d love this salad.
Yum! One of my favorite salads is the Thai Crunch Salad at CPK! This reminds of that delicious salad. I am going to make this for dinner tomorrow night!
This looks amazing Mel! Love the look of the peanutty dressing – bet it would taste amazing with veggies like broccoli or even diluted for soba noodles!
http://youtube.com/addalittlefood
Mel, do you have any suggestions on how to store this if I want to eat it all week long without it getting soggy? Wasn’t sure if that jar method that is all over the web actually works.
Good question, Ericka – I haven’t tried the jar method but think it might actually work. If I know I’m going to make this and eat it all week (versus serving it as a main course where it will mostly get eaten), I store all the chopped ingredients together and the dressings separately. Then I toss my individual serving with dressing (heating up the peanut sauce slightly since it gets really thick in the fridge). I’ve actually eaten the leftovers of this that have already been tossed with the vinaigrette dressing – and even a day or so later, it’s not terribly soggy. I pour off the excess liquid in the salad before eating.
We adore your Thai Crunch Wraps and will be sure to give this salad a try 🙂 It sounds so good!
Oh, man! I’m going to make (eat) this ASAP!
I will be getting the ingredients for this today. It looks delicious and just what I’ve been craving, a hearty salad to cure the “it’s too hot to cook” summer blues.
Mel, you are my favorite! I love Panera Asian sesame chicken salad & I can’t wait to make this one too. Your food & pictures are to die for 🙂
Right back at you! Thanks for being such a loyal reader!
I may never stop eating this.
Out of all the food blogs I read, you, without a doubt have the tastiest recipes EVER! Never disappoints my taste buds. Thanks!
Thanks Joyce! Seriously made my day with your comment…
Gorgeous Mel! I love all those bold colors. Pinning!
Yes!! Love all the gorgeous colors in this salad. My kiddo can make himself a sandwich, I’ll be too busy eating this to care 😉
Yum! I just made your French Bread Rolls yesterday to re-stock the freezer. And then my husband ate the last frozen Philly Cheesesteak Calzone so I need to squeeze try in to re-supply these favorite sandwiches. You make my family so happy, Mel!
All this goodness looks and sounds delicious! I will have to make a trip to the grocery store for a lot of these fresh vegetables but this is so now on my meal rotation — can’t wait to try!