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Home Cuisines Thai Recipes

Thai Chicken Salad

By:Nagi
Published:6 Nov '17Updated:2 Jul '19
133 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

Get your taste buds dancing with this bright Thai Chicken Salad! The zesty Thai chilli lime dressing with the signature South East Asian balance of sweet-sour-savoury and a little heat from chilli will make any salad exciting!

Thai Chicken Salad with a bright zesty Chilli Lime Dressing, classic balance of Thai tangy-sweet-salty flavours. recipetineats.com

A THAI CHICKEN SALAD WITH BIG FLAVOURS!

Yowzer! This is about as far as you can get from bland, boring salads. I’m a huge fan of Asian salads because they are typically much lighter and fresher than many Western ones, and the dressings pack a great flavour punch.

And this one is no exception. It’s a chilli-lime Thai dressing that has that South East Asian signature sweet-salty-tangy balance with a little buzz of heat from chilli.

Thai Chicken Salad Dressing recipetineats.com

I know it looks really spicy because it’s red. But actually, it’s not that spicy because I make this using a store bought Chilli Garlic Sauce. You won’t find me eating this by the spoonful but actually, it’s not that spicy, it looks more dangerous than it is in reality. Go on, have a taste test! 1 teaspoon of this doesn’t even have the same amount of spiciness as 1 Thai or Birds Eye Chilli.

Chilli Garlic Sauce is a terrific trick for thickening dressings / sauces in the same way mustard does in Western dressings, as well as adding spiciness / garlic + some tang because it’s not just made with garlic and chilli. It’s pretty common nowadays, sold at all the supermarkets here in Australia in the Asian section. But don’t worry if you can’t find it, I’ve provided plenty of alternatives in the recipe (Sriracha, hot sauce (even Frank’s), fresh chillies, chilli paste, sambal oelak – loads of options!).

Chilli Garlic Sauce

Thai Chicken Salad ingredients

Ah yes, I almost forgot. The spice-adverse may be alarmed to see yet more chillies in the photo above – the finely sliced red chillies.

But fear not! Firstly, they are large red chillies that actually aren’t that spicy at all. Rule of thumb is: the larger the chilli, the less spicy they are, the smaller they are, the spicier they are.

Secondly, yes the finely julienned red chillies add a touch more heat into this salad and it looks pretty, but it’s not a deal breaker just to leave them out. I often do (mainly because I can’t be bothered with the extra chopping action!)

Thai Chicken Salad with a bright zesty Chilli Lime Dressing, classic balance of Thai tangy-sweet-salty flavours. recipetineats.com

I honestly would not classify this salad as really spicy. The dressing is warm rather than spicy and I barely notice the fresh chilli tossed through the salad. If this was on a restaurant menu that had a spiciness indicator in the form of chilli icons, with 1 chilli being mild and 3 chillies being “blow your head off” spicy, this would be a 1 chilli dish.

You won’t be wiping sweat beads off your forehead and guzzling ice water / beer, cursing me silently (or out loud). 😉 Promise! – Nagi x


MORE CHICKEN SALADS YOU’LL LOVE

  • Lemon Chicken Salad

  • Hawaiian Chicken Salad

  • Chicken Salad with Avocado Dressing

  • Chinese Chicken Salad

  • Mexican Avocado Chicken Salad

  • More giant Salads for Meals

Thai Chicken Salad with a bright zesty Chilli Lime Dressing, classic balance of Thai tangy-sweet-salty flavours. recipetineats.com

WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

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Thai Chicken Salad with a bright zesty Chilli Lime Dressing, classic balance of Thai tangy-sweet-salty flavours. recipetineats.com

Thai Chicken Salad

Author: Nagi
Prep: 15 minutes mins
Cook: 20 minutes mins
Total: 35 minutes mins
Main, Salad
Thai
5 from 46 votes
Servings2 people
Tap or hover to scale
Print
  • 386
Recipe VIDEO above. A chicken salad with a fantastic Thai chilli lime dressing with a great tangy-sweet-salty-spicy balance that South East Asian food is known for. Using Chilli Garlic Sauce is a great way to thicken dressing as well as adding more layers of flavour. Serves 2 as a main, 4 as a side. 

Ingredients

  • 180 - 220 g / 6 -7oz chicken breast

Salad:

  • 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

Thai Chilli Lime Dressing:

  • 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

Chicken:

  • 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.

Dressing:

  • 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)

Salad:

  • Place Salad ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle over most of the Dressing, toss. Serve immediately, drizzled with remaining Dressing.

Recipe 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!!).

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 385gCalories: 465cal (23%)
Keywords: Thai Chicken Salad, Thai Salad
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

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133 Comments

  1. Ariane G says

    August 7, 2023 at 8:55 pm

    5 stars
    Light, quick and easy. Perfect Monday night meal after a big weekend.

    Reply
  2. Kim says

    July 26, 2023 at 8:03 pm

    Just wondering how long your salad dressings will last pre made? We are travelling for a few weeks and don’t want to take all the ingredients if I don’t have to. Thank you, love your cook book, never gets put on the shelf.

    Reply
  3. michael folk says

    March 18, 2023 at 12:49 pm

    loved this thanks. A comment, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, in my mind would overpower the flavours, so pleased I used only one. For even better balance and texture, I added 1.5 teaspoon of peanut butter, and used honey instead of sugar. Kapow, delicious.have loved your work for years, well done! bought 4 of your books as gifts.

    Reply
  4. Tania Anastasiu says

    March 5, 2023 at 2:12 pm

    Hi Nagi this looks so good but could you suggest a marinade for the chicken? Im going to simmer in a ziplog bag.

    Reply
    • Stacie says

      July 31, 2023 at 12:15 pm

      5 stars
      I made 1 batch of the dressing for marinade and then grilled the chicken (breasts and thighs). Then I almost tripled the recipe for dressing (my family LOVES the dressing!)

      Reply
  5. Jeanine says

    February 17, 2023 at 7:04 am

    5 stars
    Another great success. So much flavour and freshness. I used a bbq chicken and sambal oelek as no chilli and garlic sauce available in my neck of the woods. Can’t wait to have it again!

    Reply
  6. Kristen says

    January 31, 2023 at 7:11 pm

    5 stars
    An easy but very tasty meal. My husband told me at least 5 times whilst eating it that it was “bloody beautiful”!

    Reply
  7. Steve says

    January 17, 2023 at 6:01 pm

    5 stars
    So easy, so delicious!
    This has become a regular for us during these hot evenings.

    Reply
  8. Becki says

    December 21, 2022 at 3:16 am

    5 stars
    This is the best recipe, with or without chicken. Even with minor substitutions (oyster sauce instead of fish & a sweet chili sauce/hot chili sauce mix with less sugar added) it’s just so refreshing and flavorful.
    My beloved of 47 years does not usually like salads but he asks for this often as a side or full dinner.
    A true winner at our home. Thanks Nagi 🙂

    Reply
  9. Sally says

    October 26, 2022 at 9:59 pm

    5 stars
    This was delicious with air fryer basa fish in place of chicken, and sambal oelek for the chilli sauce. So easy!

    Reply
  10. Mary Beth says

    October 9, 2022 at 5:26 am

    5 stars
    This is so great! My husband loved it, I loved it, made it twice in one week it is so good. Did not have chilli sauce, so I used a little Tabasco sauce. Can not wait for the cookbook to be available in the US. Thank you!!

    Reply
  11. Thanuja says

    August 8, 2022 at 8:18 pm

    Nagi I made your Thai Chicken Salad last night and it was wonderful. My husband loves it. I may say the number one secret of your recipes are the quantity of ingredients that you use. I follow the same amount of ingredients you mentioned and it never go wrong. This is why I recommend everyone who loves to cook and loves to eat delicious food to use Nagi’s recipes. A big thanks again Nagi. We love you very much.

    Reply
  12. Melissa says

    July 8, 2022 at 5:14 am

    Looks so yum! Why is the fat content so high when we’re cooking a chicken breast? I’d love a low cholesterol diet category. We’ve reached that stage of life over here 😉 love this site so much

    Reply
    • Eeka says

      June 28, 2023 at 7:12 am

      There’s a lot of fat in cashews.

      Reply
  13. Mon says

    January 23, 2022 at 8:02 pm

    5 stars
    Soooo delicious. Another winner – Thanks Nagi!

    Reply
  14. Emma says

    March 30, 2021 at 10:45 pm

    5 stars
    I was so impressed with myself for making something so tasty, even my daughter who is the salad queen really enjoyed it. This is a regular for my household now. Thank you so much

    Reply
  15. Kathryn says

    March 23, 2021 at 7:08 pm

    5 stars
    Sooooo good!! Recipe makes enough for 2 big adult serves. We’ve made it twice now, once with poached chicken and once with leftover roast chicken. Both delish. Also just subbed chilli sauce for sweet chilli

    Reply
  16. Narelle Lawler says

    September 19, 2020 at 10:26 am

    5 stars
    A friend made this for lunch with the vegetable frittata. I loved both so much I immediately signed up and am now searching all these amazing recipes!

    Reply
  17. Robyn says

    September 18, 2020 at 8:44 am

    I love this salad and make it for friends and family but can’t eat it myself because of the sugar in the dressing and I am allegic to the sugar. Is their something i change the sugar with to get the correct balance?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 18, 2020 at 10:54 am

      Hi Robyn, are you able to have honey or another sweetener like that? N x

      Reply
  18. Haylie says

    September 6, 2020 at 2:39 pm

    Hi Nagi, just wondering if you have ever tried this recipe with Laoganma Chilli Sauce with Diced chicken condiment?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 7, 2020 at 9:57 am

      I haven’t Haylie! N x

      Reply
  19. J says

    August 20, 2020 at 1:25 am

    Hello, would love to try this dish! Any suggestions on what to go along with this dish for a small dinner party? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 20, 2020 at 1:28 pm

      Hi J – are you serving this on the side or as a main? What about a curry & some coconut rice? N x

      Reply
      • J says

        August 20, 2020 at 1:54 pm

        as a side, I was thinking a Thai green curry but wasn’t sure if it was too contrasting. But I’ll give it a try, together with coconut rice. Thanks.

        Reply
  20. Vicky says

    June 27, 2020 at 6:37 pm

    5 stars
    AMAZING- this is the best salad I have ever made. Thank you for another household favourite to add to my growing list lol!

    Reply
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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