Peanut Chicken Cabbage Salad {Perfect for Meal Prep}
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This peanut chicken cabbage salad has no business being as good as it is for how quickly it comes together. The dressing is super nutty, the cabbage stays crunchy even after a day in the fridge, and the chicken makes it substantial enough to actually keep you going. My recipe for Homemade Air Fryer Spring Rolls pairs perfectly with this Thai peanut chicken salad!
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- ✅ Recipe Name: Peanut Chicken Cabbage Salad {Perfect for Meal Prep}
- 🕦 Ready in: 30 minutes
- 🤝 Serves: 5
- 🍴 Calories: 492kcal
- 🧑🍳 Main ingredients: white cabbage, chicken breast, peanut butter, soy sauce
- ✨ Summary: This crunchy peanut chicken cabbage salad has loads of shredded chicken, radishes & mint in a quick peanut dressing.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Crunchy: We’ve got cabbage, radishes, peanuts and crispy onions in this Thai chicken salad recipe. Every bite has something going on texturally and it doesn’t go soggy on you, which is more than I can say for most salads. If crunchy salads are your thing, my Tonkatsu Inspired Pork & Cabbage Salad is along similar lines.
- The peanut dressing: A handful of ingredients and it tastes like it came straight from a Thai restaurant. It’s the kind of thing you start making for one salad & end up putting on everything – I know I do!!
- Flexible: This peanut chicken cabbage salad works as a quick lunch or a light dinner, and if you want something heartier you can bulk it out with rice noodles or extra veg. The shredded chicken means it’s actually got some substance to it.
If you’re in the mood for more salads, try Greek Chicken Salad, High Protein Dense Bean Salad (with Chicken), or Jennifer Aniston Salad (Easy 10-Minute Recipe).
Table of Contents
Ingredients
A few simple ingredients do a lot of work in this peanut chicken cabbage salad! These are the main ones:
- White cabbage: The backbone of the whole thing. It holds the Asian peanut dressing better than lettuce and stays crunchy even after a day in the fridge, which still gets me every time honestly. You can use some of it in the Easiest Creamed Cabbage Recipe Ever if you’ve got extra.
- Chicken breast: Poaching keeps it juicy and easy to shred. You can learn How To Boil A Whole Chicken this way too – this method is super reliable & never lets me down.
- Peanut butter: This is obviously super important for my Thai chicken salad with peanut dressing. It’s the base of the dressing and what makes it taste nice & creamy rather than just tangy. Smooth blends easiest, but crunchy works if you want extra texture.
See the recipe card for full information on all ingredients and quantities.
Variations/ Adaptations
- Add shredded carrots: Good for adding extra colour and crunch to your Thai salad. They take on the peanut dressing really well.
- Swap the herbs: Mint is what I use and it lifts the whole peanut chicken cabbage salad, but coriander or Thai basil work just as well. Fresh herbs are worth it here, they make a noticeable difference.
- Turn it into a noodle salad: Toss in some cooked rice noodles into the Chinese chicken salad with peanut dressing – this is one of my favourite tricks. If you’re into pasta salads, try a Healthy Tuna Pasta Salad next!
How to Make Crunchy Peanut Chicken Cabbage Salad
Step 1: Start your prep work by halving the cucumber and slicing it diagonally across your cutting board.
Step 2: Continue prepping your fresh vegetables by thinly slicing the radishes and getting your head of white cabbage ready to shred.
Step 3: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, water, soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, and ginger until you have a smooth, creamy dressing.
Step 4: Add the shredded cabbage, cucumber, radishes, cooked shredded chicken, red onion, mint, peanuts, and crispy onions to the bowl, then toss everything together until coated.
If you’re looking for more quick chicken dinners, try TENDER Cast Iron Chicken Breast,Easy Sweet Chilli Chicken {Chinese Fakeaway!}, or Creamy Tarragon Chicken (with Step by Step Photos).
Tips for the best result
- To shred your cabbage, you can either thinly slice it or use a peeler to thinly shred the pieces. It makes a real difference to how the dressing coats everything and stops the peanut chicken cabbage salad feeling bulky.
- Remove mint leaves from the thick stems. If you bought extra, use them in this Easy Tzatziki as well.
- Add the crispy onions right before serving the Thai chicken salad. They go soft fast and that crunch is half the point.
- If the dressing is too thick, whisk in another tablespoon of water until it loosens up.
Serving Suggestions
I usually eat this peanut chicken cabbage salad straight from the bowl for lunch, but you can eat it as a side too!
Try it with:
Leftover Storage and Reheat Instructions
This peanut chicken cabbage salad keeps well, which makes it a solid next-day lunch. I make this on a Sunday & it’s sorted for most of the week.
Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Keep the crispy onions separate if you can so they stay crunchy.
Freezer: Not one for the freezer as the fresh veg loses its texture badly once thawed.
Reheat: No reheating needed. Cold from the fridge or at room temperature is how I eat it.
Recipe FAQs
To make the perfect dressing for a peanut butter chicken salad, just whisk peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, garlic and ground ginger together until smooth. A little extra water loosens it if it feels too thick.
Cabbage, cucumber, radishes and carrots all hold up well because they stay crunchy. Then fresh mint or coriander helps cut through the richness of the peanut dressing.
Yes, cabbage is one of the better salad bases for meal prep because it doesn’t wilt. Just keep the crispy onions in a separate container so they’re still crunchy when you eat it.
This chicken salad with peanut sauce has got a lot going for it – loads of protein from the chicken, fresh veg, and the peanut dressing is super filling. It’s not a light salad but it’s definitely a good kind of filling.
If you’re looking for other high-protein meals, try High Protein Chicken Meal Prep (Easy & Over 50g Protein!),Healthy Chicken Lasagna (High Protein), or The Best Creamy Ground Turkey Pasta (Healthy & Easy).
If you tried this Peanut Chicken Cabbage Salad, it would mean so much to me if you couldleave a review & a star rating to let me know how you found it! I love hearing about your experiences – it motivates me to keep creating more and more recipes for you guys 💛 Let’s get cooking! – Mimi x
Peanut Chicken Cabbage Salad
Ingredients
- 1 head of white cabbage, shredded
- 1 cucumber, halved and sliced diagonally
- 10 radishes, thinly sliced
- Handful of fresh mint leaves, removed from stem
- 650 g chicken breast, shredded
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- 25 g crispy onions
- 30 g peanuts
- Fresh red chillies, thinly sliced to serve
Dressing
- 3 tbsp peanut butter
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp Soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 clove fresh garlic
- ½ tsp ground ginger
Method
- Poach the chicken in salted water, brought to a low simmer. This should take around 10 minutes. Cook to an internal temp of 165°F or 74°C.
- Let the chicken rest, then shred it into pieces with a fork.
- In a large bowl, combine the ingredients for the dressing. Whisk to combine, then add all of your salad elements: the cabbage, cucumber, radishes, fresh mint, cooled chicken breast, red onion and peanuts. Stir to incorporate everything.
- When it’s time to eat, top with a sprinkle of crispy onions and fresh chilli. Dive in!
Notes
- To shred your cabbage, you can either thinly slice it or use a peeler to thinly shred the pieces.
- Add the crispy onions to top when you’re about to eat so that they stay crispy.
- Remove mint leaves from the thick stems.
Nutrition
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