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This Thai chicken salad is everything you love in an Indian or Thai dish. Perfect as a salad, a sandwich filling or a wrap.
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This Thai chicken salad combines all my favorite spices and textures of Thai food in a scrumptious and healthy salad. Plus it’s versatile enough to use as a sandwich filling or wrap. You can make wraps or sandwiches ahead and take along on a summer picnic, a trip to the lake, or store in the fridge for days when you just can’t think of a single thing to eat for lunch. My kids love them too!
This recipe is not too spicy so it’s easy to make for the little ones for lunch. The simple dressing comes together in a snap and you can add just about any ingredients you like! Such a delicious alternative to boring sandwiches for lunch!
Thai Chicken Salad Ingredients
I love the cool cucumber and shredded carrots along with plump juicy golden raisins combined with shredded chicken in a deliciously simple spicy sauce. Together this Thai salad is a light and tasty meal that can be made ahead of time or the day of. It is the perfect combination!
- Chicken breasts – Cook your chicken just the way you like it and cut it into cubes once cooled. You can also use chicken thighs, or a rotisserie chicken for convenience.
- Cashews – Crunchy texture that will give this chicken salad more taste and flavor to the meal.
- Cucumber – Peel and slice the cucumbers thinly and cut them into half or quarters.
- Carrots – Slice or shred the carrots for a crunchy and fun color to add to the chicken and dressing mixture.
- Raisins – Squishy and small with loads of flavor. Raisins are fun to add in for an extra texture.
- Arugula – Lettuce leaves add just the right amount of crunch and lightness to the recipe. Arugula is a stronger lettuce that has a little bit of spice to it. You can use Romaine lettuce as well.
Homemade Thai Dressing
The Thai Chicken Salad dressing can be made in a blender or a food processor and stored in a mason jar or other airtight container in the refrigerator. It’s ideal to make for meal prepping, because you can have all the ingredients for the salad ready to assemble in the fridge anytime. Mix together all the ingredients in a small bowl making a light and creamy dressing mixed with the chicken mixture.
- Mayonnaise – The base of the dressing is used with mayonnaise. It is a creamy and smooth texture.
- Sour cream – Adds in flavor but also gives that white cream thickness.
- Sugar – Sweetness added to the dressing! With all the tangy flavors, a little sweetener is necessary. A drizzle of maple syrup also does the trick.
- Salt – Balances out the flavors.
- Curry powder – This is deep red coloring a sweet and savory seasoning that has a touch of heat.
Make this Salad into a Wrap!
This Thai Chicken Salad is delicious in a sandwich or a wrap. Pick out a spinach herb wrap, whole wheat or classic tortilla. When ready to enjoy, place the chicken mixture into a wrap and enjoy! It is that easy to make!
- Dressing – First, make the dressing.
- Fold – Then gently fold in the chicken, cucumber, carrots, cashews, and raisins.
- Refrigerate – Chill in the refrigerator for about an hour.
- Wrap up – Spoon the chicken salad into your wrap, top with lettuce, and roll up.
More Delicious Thai Ingredients
Thai Chicken Salad is completely versatile and you can toss in just about any ingredients you like. You can serve it all on its own, or wrap it up in a spinach wrap (I love the Mission Spinach and Herb variety). Here are some other ingredients you can add.
- Add – Green onions, diced red bell pepper, fresh cilantro, garlic, and peanuts or nuts are a great substitute or addition.
- Veggies – Diced red peppers, broccoli, edamame, and water chestnuts give a crunchy texture.
- Herbs – Fresh cilantro, ginger, or basil are popular herbs to try.
- Fruit – Mango, cubed apples, or pineapple are sweeter choices to try.
- Protein – Substitute the chicken for shrimp or use ground chicken or ground turkey for a lighter and healthier main dish.
- Heat – If you love spice then sprinkle red pepper flakes over top, chili sauce, or siracha sauce for some extra heat.
- Lettuce – Any kind of lettuce is great! Iceberg lettuce is always the easiest and most popular, cabbage, is another great texture and taste as well as coleslaw mix that has a few extra ingredients.
- Crunch – add wonton strips or rice noodles for extra crunchy texture.
- Garnish – Squeeze lime juice over top for a tart and tangy combination! You can also add a drizzle of soy sauce, peanut dressing or a tiny bit of rice vinegar over the salad.
Not So Spicy Sauce
If you are worried about the sauce being too spicy for the little mouths you feed, just alter the amount of curry powder. If you want it even spicier, you can toss in a dash or two of hot sauce or sriracha. I like it nice and spicy, so sometimes I add both! The cool sour cream and mayo in the sauce help make this dressing more “warm” than super spicy.
“I loved all the flavors and textures in your chicken salad. It was so flavorful and the whole family loved it so much!! I will be making this again. Bookmarking so that I won’t misplace this awesome recipe.”
-Heidy
Frequently Asked Questions
A chicken salad can have different ingredients depending on the recipe. This one has chicken, onions, grapes, raisins, nuts, mayonnaise, carrots, and cucumbers. To make it into a wrap, use large white flour tortilla, spinach tortilla for a healthier wrap, or gluten free with butter lettuce.
Thai chicken salad can be served alone or as an appetizer. For a classic Asian meal try it with rice, pot stickers, or eggrolls. Make it simple with soup, veggies, or chips as the side dish.
Each lettuce wraps is going to have its own amount of calories. These Asian chicken salad wraps are light and tasty with a serving of about 200 calories and 26 grams of protein.
READ MORE: 35+ Best Chicken Breast Recipes
More Thai Recipes
Thai recipes are some of my very favorites! From pizza to pasta to salad, these are some of the tastiest Thai dishes to try. You will love the flavor combination and the authentic blend of ingredients that comes with each recipe.
How to Make Thai Chicken Salad
Thai Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts cooked and shredded, see notes
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 1/2 cup cucumber diced
- 1/2 cup carrots shredded
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
DRESSING:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
Instructions
- Mix together all the dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Combine chicken, cucumbers, carrots, cashews, and raisins in a large bowl.
- Add the dressing and mix until everything is coated. Chill in the fridge for at least one hour.
Notes
- The quickest way to make shredded chicken is to boil it in water. Boil it until it shreds easily with two forks. You can add salt and pepper to the water to add extra flavor.
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- Add – Green onions, diced red bell pepper, fresh cilantro, garlic, and peanuts or nuts are a great substitute or addition.
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- Veggies – Diced red peppers, broccoli, edamame, and water chestnuts give a crunchy texture.
-
- Herbs – Fresh cilantro, ginger, or basil are popular herbs to try.
-
- Fruit – Mango, cubed apples, or pineapple are sweeter choices to try.
Love this. Makes such a simple and delicious lunch
These were really a huge hit at my house!
We made this the other day and everyone loved it.
I loved all the flavors and textures in your chicken salad. It was so flavorful and the whole family loved it so much!! I will be making this again. Bookmarking so that I won’t misplace this awesome recipe.
These sound so easy and delicious! Perfect for lunch. 🙂
I just made this for dinner and it was delicious! My hubby does not like raisins, so I didn’t add those, but next time, I think I will try grapes.
I made these tonight, and they were sooo yummy! I loved the curry flavor! I am fairly new to your site, and I have loved the recipes I have tried. Thanks!
hope I can figure out how to retrieve it later