Sometimes when I eat a crappy boring salad, I realise why there’s a saying ‘You don’t win friends with salad’. Salads need to be bursting with loads of different flavours and textures, and it needs to fill you up if you want to make a meal out of it (so to speak). Like this one! A chicken salad that’s delightfully fresh, healthy, vibrant and tasty. You could swap the chicken for beef and sear it so it’s still nice and rare if you like. And be flexible with the fresh salad ingredients – try and use what’s seasonal, colourful and with a nice textural contrast.
I added fried shallots to the top of this one – just peel and thinly slice shallots, gently fry in some neutral oil over a medium low heat until brown and crispy, drain on paper towels and season with salt. Or just sprinkle with crispy noodles!
Ingredients
Chicken
800g chicken thighs, skinless and boneless
1 tbsp soy sauce (use gluten-free if needed)
1 tbsp ginger juice (squeeze the juice out of finely grated or chopped ginger)
3 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp ground cumin
Zest of 1 lime
Peanut or canola oil, for frying
Dressing
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
Big pinch chilli flakes or 1 chopped deseeded chilli (optional)
Salad ingredients (take your choice of some or all – or add anything else you like)
Finely chopped purple or green cabbage
1 avocado, sliced
Mung bean sprouts
Cherry tomatoes
Snow peas/sugar snap peas
Spring onion, chopped
Carrot, peeled and finely sliced
1 red capsicum, finely sliced
Celery stalks, chopped
Sweetcorn, steamed and kernels sliced off (or use tinned)
Cucumber, deseeded and sliced
Fresh finely chopped herbs – basil, mint, coriander
3/4 cup toasted peanuts or cashews
1/2 packet rice stick noodles or vermicelli
Method
Slice the chicken into chunks, place in a bowl with the rest of the chicken ingredients and toss to coat. Set aside (for a few minutes, or as long as you can).
Mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to dissolve. Taste and if need be, add more sugar, fish sauce or lime until the sweet/salty and sour flavours are balanced to your liking for a dressing. Set aside.
Heat a little peanut or canola oil on BBQ grill or frying pan over a high heat, add the chicken when then pan is nice and hot, and cook until done, turning a few times.
Soak the noodles in a bowl of boiled water for 5-10 minutes until soft. Drain and arrange on the bottom of the platter.
Place all the salad ingredients in a bowl, toss with half the dressing and arrange on a large serving platter. Top with the chicken pieces and nuts, and drizzle the rest of the dressing on top (it’ll run down and soak into the noodles).
I’m using chicken breasts instead, and wanting to marinate them a bit b4 but dont really love the ginger taste. What else would u use? So far I have oil, chilli sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce, s&p
This is a family favourite, we keep coming back to it!
Hi Chelsea,
LOVE your recipes! They never dissapoint :-)
Could you make this recipe the night before and take it cold to lunch the following day? Trying to find lunch salad ideas and this sounds delicious!
Just made this salad. O M G !!! You make me feel like the best cook on earth. It was so tasty. I so need to go buy your cook book
Hi Chelsea. I love the sound of this recipe, but my husband doesn’t like chicken thighs. Would it work ok with drumsticks or breast?
Yes it would.
I made this last night using beef and it was fantastic! So flavourful – I really enjoyed it and the husband was happy too! Thank you!
HI Chelsea… I made this last night… soooooo good… and so pretty… a real winner! I thought that was an awful lot of chicken to use in a salad, but it turn out to be just right because I think I ate about HALF of the chicken as it was cooling and waiting to be put together!!! That chicken is the best ever!!! Yum, yum. You rock!! :)
Hi Chelsea
I made this the other night – it was devine. It was the best thing I have ever made. I am not an experienced cook but this still came out absolutely gorgeous. I didn’t do the ginger juice but just used chopped up ginger.
I am going to get your book because I have looked through your recipes and they look nice and ‘doable’ and delicious.
Thanks Chelsea
Thanks for letting me know that Natasha – great to hear!
Kick the tires and light the fires, problem offlicaily solved!
Great recipe! Made this tonight for my family and was so easy and soo good!
Chelsea could you confirm the dressing please? Im wondering if its missing something as it doesnt make much… Im making this tonight.
Hi Chelsea, I love the look of this recipe, my husband is allergic to citrus fruits and I always struggle to find a suitable replacement for lemon/lime juice, any suggestions??
Hi Rebecca, that’s a shame! It just needs to be an acid, so you could use a little white vinegar instead :)
Made this tasty dish tonight Chels – so delicious and made me feel healthy! I’ve got another couple of yours lined up for later in the week too. Can’t wait for your book now! Hope you’re well honey xx
Thanks Mel, that’s great to hear. Loving your blog by the way, even though there’s no baby in sight for me yet!x
Chelsea, thank you so much for this fantastic recipe! At only 283.3 calories a serving if you serve five, its a delicious and healthy meal! Yummo! Cant wait to share it with my friends!
Thanks Abby – and thanks for sharing that, very interesting to know! Let me know how it goes!
Hi Chelsea, I have just written down your receipe and plan to make this coming weekend. It looks so delicious and sounds amazing, thanks for sharing, and hope all is going well, looking forward to purchasing your receipe book, all the best, Jen :)
Thanks Jennine, let me know how it goes! I feel awful that you had to write it all out though – there should be a little ‘click here to print’ button on top of the image, which print it out for you? Was that not there?