Best Ever Peanut Lime Chicken Salad

I have been dreaming up this salad for a long time. This was initially supposed to be a lettuce-based salad using my peanut ramen sauce in an old recipe, but I got this gorgeous head of cabbage in my CSA and it struck me how delicious this salad would be with crunchy cabbage that would hold up better to a peanut butter-based sauce. This dish uses all raw veggies and marinated, cooked, and shredded chicken to make a complete dish PACKED with flavor and protein. It’s perfect for summer evenings, a great potluck idea, and it saves well, too (trust me, I devoured the leftovers for lunch!). Using cilantro, Thai basil, and green onions, this dish is so fresh and light but still exciting. I cannot wait to see what you all think of this one. It’s the recipe I’m most proud of this year!

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Level: Easy

Ingredients - serves 3-4

  • About 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast

  • 4 cups of finely cut/julienned cabbage (instructions below)

  • 1 small red onion, sliced thin

  • About 2/3 cup fresh carrots, peeled and cut into thin rounds

  • 4 green onions, cut into thin rounds

  • 1 tbsp finely chopped Thai basil

  • 1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro

  • 1 tbsp. pure sesame oil

  • 1 tsp garlic powder

  • 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

  • 1/2 cup of soy sauce, divided into two 1/4 cups

  • 1/4 cup lime juice

  • Optional: sriracha for spice, sesame seeds for topping

 

  1. Marinate your chicken in advance for at least an hour, if not up to 4! To make the marinade, whisk together 1/4 cup of the soy sauce, the sesame oil, the garlic powder, and a pinch of salt. Make sure the chicken is is smaller chunks or thin breasts (if they are large breasts, cut them in two halves lengthwise to make two breasts of same size, but thinner). Place chicken in a bag or container, cover and stir in marinade and put in the fridge.

  2. When time to cook: preheat the oven to 450. Place chicken in a baking dish and bake until cooked through, about 20-25 minutes. When it’s done, let sit out for 10 minutes to lock in juices before shredding the chicken.

  3. While chicken cooks, prep all over ingredients. To get the best cut on the cabbage, cut a whole into fours through the base stem. Then take one of those quarters, and thinly cut from the top, working your way down closer to the stem. Thin cut cabbage makes the best texture here! Prep all other ingredients as described and place in a large salad bowl.

  4. Make dressing: whisk together the peanut butter, the remaining 1/4 cup of soy sauce, the lime juice, and another pinch of salt. Want it spicy? Add sriracha at this step.

  5. Once the chicken has slightly cooled and has been shredded (the chicken can also be cold, if you’d like to make it WAY in advance), add the chicken with the veggies and herbs. Drizzle with the dressing, stir to combine and coat evenly. Top with sesame seeds, and enjoy!