Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Thai Chicken Salad Recipe
Get your style buds dancing with this shiny Thai Chicken Salad! The zesty Thai chilli lime dressing with the signature South East Asian steadiness of sweet-sour-savoury and a bit of warmth from chilli will make any salad thrilling!
A THAI CHICKEN SALAD WITH BIG FLAVOURS!
Yowzer! That is about so far as you will get from bland, boring salads. I’m an enormous fan of Asian salads as a result of they’re sometimes a lot lighter and brisker than many Western ones, and the dressings pack a terrific flavour punch.
And this one isn’t any exception. It’s a chilli-lime Thai dressing that has that South East Asian signature sweet-salty-tangy steadiness with a bit of buzz of warmth from chilli.
I do know it seems actually spicy as a result of it’s pink. However really, it’s not that spicy as a result of I make this utilizing a retailer purchased Chilli Garlic Sauce. You received’t discover me consuming this by the spoonful however really, it’s not that spicy, it seems extra harmful than it’s in actuality. Go on, have a style take a look at! 1 teaspoon of this doesn’t even have the identical quantity of spiciness as 1 Thai or Birds Eye Chilli.
Chilli Garlic Sauce is a terrific trick for thickening dressings / sauces in the identical means mustard does in Western dressings, in addition to including spiciness / garlic + some tang as a result of it’s not simply made with garlic and chilli. It’s fairly widespread these days, bought in any respect the supermarkets right here in Australia within the Asian part. However don’t fear for those who can’t discover it, I’ve offered loads of options within the recipe (Sriracha, sizzling sauce (even Frank’s), contemporary chillies, chilli paste, sambal oelak – a great deal of choices!).
Ah sure, I nearly forgot. The spice-adverse could also be alarmed to see but extra chillies within the photograph above – the finely sliced pink chillies.
However concern not! Firstly, they’re massive pink chillies that truly aren’t that spicy in any respect. Rule of thumb is: the bigger the chilli, the much less spicy they’re, the smaller they’re, the spicier they’re.
Secondly, sure the finely julienned pink chillies add a contact extra warmth into this salad and it seems fairly, however it’s not a deal breaker simply to go away them out. I typically do (primarily as a result of I can’t be bothered with the additional chopping motion!)
I actually wouldn’t classify this salad as actually spicy. The dressing is heat fairly than spicy and I barely discover the contemporary chilli tossed by way of the salad. If this was on a restaurant menu that had a spiciness indicator within the type of chilli icons, with 1 chilli being gentle and three chillies being “blow your head off” spicy, this is able to be a 1 chilli dish.
You received’t be wiping sweat beads off your brow and guzzling ice water / beer, cursing me silently (or out loud). 😉 Promise! – Johnsat x
MORE CHICKEN SALADS YOU’LL LOVE
-
Lemon Chicken Salad
-
Hawaiian Chicken Salad
-
Chicken Salad with Avocado Dressing
-
Chinese language Chicken Salad
-
Mexican Avocado Chicken Salad
-
Extra big Salads for Meals
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 180 – 220 g / 6 -7oz chicken breast
- 150 g / 5 oz mixed lettuce leaves (or other of choice)
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes , halved
- 1 small cucumber , sliced
- 1/4 red onion , finely sliced
- 1/2 large red chilli , deseeded and very finely sliced (Note 1)
- 1/2 cup roasted cashews , unsalted preferred
- 1/4 cup coriander / cilantro leaves
- 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander/cilantro stems (see video)
- 1 1/2 tsp Chilli Garlic Sauce (Note 2)
- 1 small garlic , minced
- 1 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice (or rice vinegar)
- 2 tsp fish sauce (Note 3)
- 1 tbsp canola oil (or vegetable, grapeseed or other neutral oil)
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar (any, I use white)
Instructions
- Take the chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.
- Boil water in a saucepan. Add chicken, put the lid on, let the water come back up to a simmer, then remove from stove. Set aside for 20 minutes (even up to 45 min is fine). (Note 4)
- Remove chicken from water and shred, then cool.
- Place ingredients in a jar. Shake well. Taste and adjust as required. It should be a balance of tangy / sweet / salty / hint of spice. (Note 5)
- Place Salad ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle over most of the Dressing, toss. Serve immediately, drizzled with remaining Dressing.
Notes
1. Large Chilli: The larger the chilli, the less spicy it is. I use Cayenne peppers which are common here in Australia, they are about 12 cm / 5″ long. They are not that spicy once sliced thinly and dispersed throughout the salad. It’s more for colour and a bit of heat, so you can leave it out if you’re concerned. Watch the video to see how I deseed it with a spoon and finely slice it.
2. Chilli Garlic Sauce is a terrific sauce sold in jars that is now widely available in supermarkets here in Australia (Woolies, Coles etc). It’s made with chilli, garlic, vinegar and some seasonings so you get lots of extra flavour layers by using it in a dressing, plus it thickens the sauce like mustard does in Western dressings. Can be substituted with: sriracha, any hot sauce, crushed chilli in a jar, sambal oelak or other chilli pastes. Because the spiciness differs, start with a conservative amount and adjust to taste.
3. Fish Sauce: This can be substituted with soy sauce if you really insist – or need to. It’s not quite the same because fish sauce has more complex flavours than soy sauce.
4. Chicken Poaching: This is a foolproof way to poach chicken, guaranteed to come out juicy every time and it is scientifically impossible to overcook the breast. The chicken can stay in the water for 45 minutes and it will still be the same as it was at 20 minutes. If your breast is larger than 220g/7oz, boil for 2 minutes before taking it off the stove, then leave for 20 minutes. Read more about this method in this recipe: Foolproof Poached Chicken Breast.
5. DRESSING: You should not be able to taste any of the ingredients individually. Too sour, add more sugar and oil. Too sweet, add more lime and/or fish sauce. Too fish-saucy, add more lime, oil and sugar.
6. SPICINESS: This salad looks spicier than it is because of that gorgeous fiery red colour of the dressing! But actually, it’s fairly mild. The dressing has a warm tingle rather than the bite of spiciness, and the chilli in the salad is sliced very finely and it’s not a spicy chilli (see Note 1). Feel free to adjust the spiciness to your taste – just add the chilli gradually into the dressing.
7. Nutrition per serving, assuming 2 servings. 148 calories is attributable to the cashews, so there’s an opportunity to cut down on calories here (but note the cashews make this salad extra special!!).
Did You Make This Recipe?
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