Healthy Thai Chicken Salad {For 1!}

This Thai Chicken Salad falls into that category I like to call Mom-Lunch. You’ll notice the recipe is written to serve 1, because this is something I whip up while my kids are at school and I’m on my own for lunch.

I love salads for lunch, but in order to actually fill me up and not have me rummaging through the pantry an hour later, it has to be a good, filling salad. That’s where all of this comes in. If you keep some fresh veggies on hand, this only takes a few moments to whip up and it tastes like a fancy, gourmet restaurant salad- without the fancy gourmet restaurant calories.

Ingredients Needed

This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.

Salad

Coleslaw cabbage mix – I almost always have a bag of coleslaw mix in my fridge. I like it because it doesn’t wilt quickly, so I use a little bit here and there. It’s great as a base to a salad like this, or tossed into a stir-fry or skillet meal.
Shredded cooked chicken breast
Quinoa – Another thing I often do is keep a container of cooked quinoa in my fridge. Again, if I’m cooking some anyway for a recipe during the week, I just make extra. Otherwise, I make a pot and just keep the container in the fridge. It will last all week and I add it to my morning oatmeal (or you can turn it into an amazing breakfast dish), or a few spoonfuls to a bowl of soup, or mix it with ground beef, or in a salad like this. With protein, fiber, and amino acids, It’s one of the world’s super foods, and if you have it all ready to go in your fridge, you’ll find yourself using it! (Click Here for a post all about quinoa- including how to cook it.)
Green onion
Edamame – Check the freezer section of your grocery store for bags of shelled edamame (not in their pods). It makes it super quick and easy to just grab a handful and you can add it to all sorts of dishes. Surprisingly, my kids even like to snack on these.
Cilantro
Cucumber

Dressing

Creamy peanut butter or PB2 – For this Thai-inspired salad, I wanted a peanut flavored dressing. While nut butters are absolutely a part of a healthy diet (and can certainly be used here) if I want to save on calories I use PB2. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s basically powdered peanut butter. It’s not some weird peanut-flavored powder, it’s actually 100% roasted peanuts that have been pressed and then the oil is removed. The peanut part is ground up into basically a powder. You can mix it with water to create peanut-butter consistency, or I just use it in the powdered form to add to things like smoothies. It has a fraction of the calories of regular peanut butter (85% less fat calories). I don’t use it for things like baking (c’mon, real peanut butter has it’s place!) but I do think it works great for things like this. I buy it from Amazon.
Rice vinegar
Olive oil
Agave or honey
Soy sauce
Chopped cashews or peanuts
Sriracha – Optional.

How to Make a Healthy Thai Chicken Salad

Combine your cabbage mix, chicken, quinoa, onion, edamame, cilantro, and cucumber.
Whisk up your dressing of peanut butter, rice vinegar, olive oil, agave (or honey), and soy sauce. If you want some heat, add a squirt of Sriracha or other hot sauce.
Toss your salad with the dressing, top with chopped nuts and a squeeze of lime, and enjoy!

Storing and Other Tips

Because this salad is cabbage based, it actually stores pretty well without getting wilted. Store finished salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 24 hours for best results.
This is a good sized salad (that’s not all of it shown in my bowl). And with not only vegetables, but plenty of chicken, and whole grains from the quinoa, it actually fills you up.
If you’re used to salads drenched in dressing, this might be new for you. It’s just a light coating, but enough to give everything plenty of flavor, without drowning the good-for-you stuff.

Protein Packed Thai Chicken Salad from Our Best Bites

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this ahead of time?

This salad is a great one to make in the morning and pack for lunch at work or out of the house later.

If I want to meal prep for the week, can I make a larger batch?

If you’re wanting to meal prep more than one salad, I recommend storing the components separately. That way you can mix up a serving when needed and enjoy it within 24 hours.