Description
A vibrant and flavorful Asian Chicken Crunch Salad featuring tender marinated chicken, crisp shredded cabbages, fresh vegetables, and a creamy, tangy peanut dressing. Perfect for a quick, healthy, and satisfying meal packed with bold flavors and textures.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken Marinade
- 1 pound chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1–2 tablespoons brown sugar (depending on preference)
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Salad Vegetables
- 3 cups shredded purple cabbage
- 3 cups shredded green cabbage
- 1 cup shredded carrot
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 1/2 cup shelled edamame
- 1/2 cup diced green onion
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/4 cup chopped peanuts
Peanut Dressing
- 3 tablespoons natural creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons sriracha
- 2 tablespoons warm water (or more as needed to thin)
Instructions
- Cut the chicken: Cut the chicken breast into small 1-inch cubes, ensuring even sizes for consistent cooking.
- Whisk marinade: In a shallow bowl, combine soy sauce, minced garlic, brown sugar, tahini, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, grated ginger, sriracha, and sesame seeds. Add the chicken cubes and let them marinate while preparing the salad ingredients.
- Whisk dressing: In a separate bowl, whisk together peanut butter, rice vinegar, honey, toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, grated ginger, minced garlic, sriracha, and warm water until smooth. Set aside.
- Shred veggies: Using a mandoline or knife, shred the purple and green cabbages finely. Also prepare the shredded carrots, sliced red bell pepper, shelled edamame, diced green onions, and chopped cilantro.
- Add to bowl: Place all shredded and chopped vegetables into a large mixing bowl.
- Cook chicken: Heat a skillet over medium heat with a splash of oil. Add the marinated chicken cubes but hold back the remaining marinade for later.
- Add marinade: Sear the chicken cubes on all sides until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Then pour in the remaining marinade.
- Cook thoroughly: Continue cooking the chicken and marinade until the internal temperature reaches 165°F and the sauce thickens, coating the chicken well.
- Let cool: Remove the skillet from heat and allow the cooked chicken to cool slightly.
- Toss and serve: Toss the shredded veggies with the prepared peanut dressing to your desired amount, then add the chicken and combine everything gently. Garnish with extra chopped cilantro, sesame seeds, and chopped peanuts and serve immediately.
Notes
- Use a mandoline for perfectly shredded cabbage if available.
- Adjust the sriracha quantity to suit your preferred spice level.
- Letting the chicken marinate longer enhances flavor but even 15 minutes works well.
- The dressing can be thinned further with warm water to your preferred consistency.
- For a vegetarian version, substitute chicken with tofu or tempeh and use tamari.
- Serve immediately after combining to maintain salad crunchiness.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian
Keywords: Asian chicken salad, crunchy cabbage salad, peanut dressing salad, healthy chicken salad, sesame chicken salad
