This Asian Chicken Salad with Peanut Lime Dressing is a healthy and colorful way to eat the rainbow.
Few things are more exciting to me than a meal that is healthy, quick, and so colorful! This Asian Chicken Salad with Peanut Lime Dressing is going to become a quick favorite in your house because it fits the bill for all of those things. This would be a perfect main dish salad for any busy weekend. You could also serve it as a side if main dish salads aren't your jam. I made a big pot of simple fried rice (with lots of eggs) to go on the side of this, and everyone at my table was super pleased with the meal.
Have you ever tried savoy, Chinese, or Napa cabbage?
It has really crinkly leaves and is very light green in color most of the time. It's delicious! I really like to use it as the base for this salad because it is nice and crunchy, but it's not as tough or as strong in flavor as traditional green cabbage. It's also delicious in egg roll or dumpling fillings. Magic happens when you add sweet bell peppers and carrots and more crunch from the pretty purple cabbage. Some little bits of salty peanuts really finish this salad nicely. I like to use precooked chicken (great use for part of a rotisserie chicken or something you've prepped ahead of time) to make this salad more filling. This isn't fussy, but it sure it delicious.
The dressing is really awesome too, so even if you don't get the whole salad made, I'd plan on making the dressing sometime soon. I love to put this peanut lime dressing on thing like quinoa bowls with roasted vegetables or use it as a marinade for chicken. It's delicious, and I know you are going to love it.
Asian Chicken Salad with Peanut Lime Dressing
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Description
This Asian Chicken Salad with Peanut Lime Dressing is a healthy and colorful way to eat the rainbow.
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 1 small head Napa or savory cabbage finely chopped (about 4 cups)
- 2 cup thinly sliced red cabbage
- 1 thinly sliced red bell pepper
- 1 thinly sliced orange bell pepper
- ½ cup grated carrot
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
- ½ cup roasted salted peanuts
- sliced jalapenos, optional
For the Peanut Lime Dressing
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons water
- Juice of one lime
- 1 tablespoon rice or white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chopped peeled ginger
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
Instructions
- In a large bowl add all of the salad ingredients. I like to layer them all so that they look pretty, but you just add them and give them all a toss - it's up to you.
- To make the dressing, add all of the ingredients to a small mason jar, add the lid, and shake until well combined. If your peanut butter is cold or really thick I would use hot water (the 2 tablespoons called for) instead of cold or room temperature water.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Lunch / Salad
- Method: Bowl
- Cuisine: Asian
Keywords: healthy salad recipe, hearty salad recipe, easy chicken recipe, shredded chicken recipe
Who else is so excited that it is October? I love this month, but it sure fills my calendar to the brim! We have all kinds of family birthdays, field trips, family trips, baby blessings, and house building to work on. October is fun and busy which means simple main dishes are just the kind of meals I need in my life. I'm making all kinds of one-pot, one sheet pan, and one skillet meals because they are easy and family friendly! You better believe some of those are coming your way.
Enjoy, from my kitchen to yours!
Carolyn
I love a salad like this! So fresh and colorful!