Chicken Satay Salad
on Aug 01, 2016, Updated Aug 13, 2023
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The salad for anyone who can't get enough of that great peanutty chicken satay dressing. A serious salad meal.
Thai Chicken Salad
This is the salad to serve someone who doesn’t think a salad can be a satisfying meal. Flavorful, beautiful, colorful, a great mix of textures to keep your mouth fully entertained, and a killer dressing.
You can use any neutrally seasoned cooked chicken breasts here (and you can also use dark meat, though for this salad, I somehow prefer white meat). Rotisserie chicken is also a brilliant and readily available shortcut.
Cooking Chicken for Salad
Or, if you are cooking chicken just for this salad, you can simply roast 3 large chicken breasts (bone-in, skin on) in a 425°F oven for about 45 minutes, then cool, and shred the meat.
OR you can pour about 4 cups of chicken broth into a large stockpot and bring it to a simmer over high heat, add 3 boneless chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pounds total), return to a simmer and then lower the heat to medium-low.
Cover the pot and simmer gently until the chicken is cooked through, 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the chicken with a slotted spoon, and let cool on a plate for about 10 minutes.
Make Ahead Chicken Salad
If you want to make it ahead, you can dress the chicken and hold it in the fridge for up to 4 hours, and then dress the salad and add the chicken just before serving.
Other Chicken Salad Recipes:
- Chinese Chicken Salad
- Indonesian Chicken Salad
- Chopped Salad with Chicken and Blue Cheese Dressing
- Southwestern Chicken Taco Salad Bowl
- Chicken Piccata Orzo Salad
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Chicken Satay Salad
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- ⅓ cup peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon sesame paste
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons minced shallots
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- Pinch cayenne pepper or to taste
- Coarse or kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 4 cups shredded cooked chicken breast meat
- 6 cups shredded romaine lettuce
- 1 red bell pepper cored seeded and thinly sliced
- 2 carrots peeled and thinly sliced, or cut into matchsticks
- 1 shallot thinly sliced
- 2 scallions thinly sliced diagonally
Instructions
- Combine the peanut butter, sesame paste, soy sauce, oil, vinegar, brown sugar, shallots, garlic, cayenne, and salt and pepper in a blender or food processor. Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired.
- In a small bowl combine half the dressing with the chicken. In a serving bowl combine the lettuce, bell pepper, carrots, shallot, and scallions. Toss with most of the remaining dressing. Pile on the dressed chicken, and if you want, drizzle over the remaining dressing, or pass it on the side for those who want it. Serve immediately.
Sounds great, but I can’t find sesame paste. Amazon is the closest with black or white sesame paste, but more call it sesame tahini. Do you have a recommended brand? Thanks
yes, tahini is what you need! I have bought a number of brands, and don’t have a favorite, though I have used and like this one – https://amzn.to/3kdwDK2.
I’ve made this recipe again and again. It’s always so delicious – and very satisfying. Great dinner salad (as in, salad for dinner)!