Make use of roast chicken leftovers by making this Thai chicken noodle salad! This Thai-inspired salad combines shredded cabbage, chicken, thinly sliced vegetables, rice noodles, crunchy cashew nuts and an addictive sweet chilli-peanut dressing. It just takes 15 minutes to prepare!
Are you bored of making the same old salads this Summer? Looking for something a bit different? Once you’ve tried this Thai-inspired chicken salad, you’ll make it all Summer long.
It’s a mouth-watering combination of soft noodles, crunchy vegetables, shredded chicken and cashew nuts. The star of this dish, however, is the STUNNING chilli-lime-peanut dressing. When I tell you it’s addicting, I’m not kidding. Just wait until you try it.
Prefer beef to chicken? Try this easy Thai beef noodle salad instead!
why you’ll love this Thai chicken salad recipe
- healthy – packed full of fresh raw veg
- quick and easy – the whole salad shouldn’t take much longer than 10-15 minutes to put together
- can be made in advance and stored in the fridge
ingredients
- leftover cooked cold chicken, from a roast chicken, or chicken breasts or thighs, cut into small pieces or shredded
- red cabbage, finely shredded
- A long red chilli, or if you like it hot, a Bird’s eye chilli!
- spring onions (scallions), sliced finely
- red bell pepper, thinly sliced, or whatever colour is your favourite, obviously!
- carrot, peeled and thinly slicedÂ
- Rice noodles
- cashew nuts, or peanuts
- fresh coriander and basil. If you don’t have both of these herbs, you can just use one, but the coriander-basil combo is really good. I’ve even thrown in fresh mint leaves which was also delicious! Don’t like herbs? Skip them!
For the dressing:
- Peanut butter. You can use smooth or crunchy – whichever you prefer. I used the Pip & Nut brand. Please make sure the peanut butter is at room temperature – if it’s fridge cold, you’ll have a very hard time stirring it!
- Sweet chilli sauceÂ
- Light soy sauce
- The zest and juice of one limeÂ
- Sesame oilÂ
- garlic granules
- a little water to thin the dressingÂ
how to make Thai chicken noodle salad
Please scroll to the bottom of the post to find a printable recipe card with ingredient amounts and detailed instructions
Step 1. Place the peanut butter and sweet chilli sauce in a large bowl and mix well. Add the lime zest and juice, sesame oil, garlic granules and soy sauce and stir well once more. Add about one tablespoon of water to thin the dressing.
Step 2. Soak the rice noodles in boiling water for 3-4 minutes (or according to the packet instructions). Drain in a sieve or colander.
Step 3. Place all the salad ingredients and the drained rice noodles in the bowl. Using salad tossers, two forks or even just your hands (messy, but it’s what I usually do!) give everything a good toss together, making sure all of the vegetables and chicken are well coated in the dressing. Season the salad with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve, or cover and store in the fridge
is this thai chicken salad spicy?
Everyone has a different chilli tolerance level, but this salad really isn’t that spicy at all. I use the large fresh chillies which tend to have a mild heat. Good rule of thumb to remember – the small the chilli, the hotter it is!
If you love hot chillies, then you could use a bird’s eye chilli which really do pack a punch!
variations on cold thai noodle salad
- add different vegetables according to what needs using up – bean sprouts, radishes, sugar snap peas or baby corn would be goodÂ
- If you have a sweet tooth, cubed mango or papaya would be lovely.
- You could make the salad spicier by drizzling with a little Sriracha, but don’t go overboard – less is more!Â
tips and troubleshooting
It’s best to slice the vegetables as thinly as you possibly can using a very sharp knife and a steady hand. I use my Procook Santoku knife, but you could also use a Mandoline slicer or food processor.
It’s important that the peanut butter isn’t rock hard – it should be at room temperature. If it’s too cold and stiff, it will be difficult to stir.
storage
Any leftover salad can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for a day or two. I wouldn’t keep it any longer than that – it’s definitely best eaten within 24-48 hours.Â
more thai inspired recipes
Thai chicken noodle salad {with chilli-peanut dressing}
This Thai chicken noodle salad is a wonderful combination of textures and flavours - soft noodles, crunchy vegetables, nuts and a sweet-salty peanut-chilli-lime dressing! It's a perfect way to use up leftover chicken meat.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons peanut butter, smooth or crunchy (not natural)
- 3 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- zest and juice of one lime
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic granules
- 200g rice noodles
- 1/2 medium sized red cabbage, shredded as finely as possible
- 3 spring onions (scallions), finely sliced
- 1 large red chilli, finely sliced (seeds removed if you don't want extra heat)
- 2 carrots, peeled and very finely sliced
- 1 red pepper, finely sliced
- 250g cold cooked chicken, shredded
- 50g cashew nuts, or peanuts
- a small handful of fresh coriander and basil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place the peanut butter and sweet chilli sauce in a large bowl and using a small whisk, stir well to combine. Add the sesame oil, lime juice and zest and garlic granules and stir well. Add one tablespoon of cold water to loosen the dressing.
- Soak the rice noodles in boiling water for 3-4 minutes or according to the packet instructions. Drain in a sieve or colander.
- Place all of the vegetables, the shredded chicken and drained noodles in the bowl with the dressing. Using salad servers, two large forks or your hands, toss everything together, making sure everything is completely coated in the dressing.
- Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve.
Notes
Storing - Once assembled, the salad should be placed in an airtight container and stored in the fridge. Ideally, it should be consumed within 24 hours of making. It will still be fine to eat on day two, but the vegetables will be much softer.
I use a very large sharp knife to slice the vegetables as thinly as possible. You could also use a Mandoline slicer (but please use the guard!)
Feel free to change the vegetables - for example you could add sliced radishes, sugar snap peas or baby corn.
For a little sweetness, add some cubed mango or fresh papaya.
If you aren't a fan of fresh herbs, feel free to skip them.
The peanut butter should be at room temperature - if it's too cold you'll have a hard time stirring it.
If you love a bit of heat in your food, try using a Bird's eye chilli instead of a regular one. Just remember - you might only want to add half as they are far hotter!
Alternatively, you could drizzle the salad with Sriracha sauce for some extra heat.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 565Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 791mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 4gSugar: 13gProtein: 31g
Calories and nutritional information are provided by a third party application and should be viewed as indicative figures only.
I will be substituting a different nut butter due to peanut allergies, but this looks good. Thanks!
Hope you enjoy it 🙂