Why You Should Make This Chopped Thai Chicken Salad ASAP

It’s packed with fresh ingredients, bold flavors, and a creamy peanut dressing that ties everything together perfectly—what’s not to love?! Here are even more reasons this salad belongs on your must-make list:

Repurposes leftovers. This chopped Thai chicken salad a great way to use up leftover chicken—or just plan on baking extra chicken breast one night and setting some aside for this salad for the next day’s dinner.
Excellent for meal prep. Because this salad is made with cabbage and not wilt-y lettuce, it stands up well to storage! It’ll be just as fresh after a few days in the fridge.
Super versatile. You can customize the salad with your favorite vegetables or even swap the chicken for tofu to make it vegetarian.

Overhead view of ingredients for chopped Thai chicken salad

What You’ll Need

Here are some notes on the ingredients for this chopped Thai chicken salad. Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.

Shredded rotisserie chicken – Or, as discussed above, your leftover chicken!
Shredded cabbage – I use a combination of Napa or green cabbage and purple cabbage, but you can use all one variety if you’d like.
Grated carrots – Buy a bag of pre-shredded carrots to save yourself some prep time!
Bell peppers – You can use any color you like.
Edamame – You can often find fresh edamame in the produce section, or you can buy it frozen. Either option will work, just be sure to thaw frozen edamame first!
Fresh cilantro – Cilantro haters, you can swap in mint or just omit this altogether.
Green onion – For a mild onion flavor.
Raw unsalted cashews – I love how cashews are crunchy and creamy at the same time, but peanuts would also be a good option here.

Spicy Peanut Dressing:

Peanut butter – Swap in sunflower seed butter if you need a nut-free version of this recipe, or try almond butter.
Tamari sauce – For a savory, umami flavor. Coconut aminos or low-sodium soy sauce also work.
Sesame oil – I like using toasted sesame oil, which amps up the nuttiness in the dressing.
Rice wine vinegar – Brings acidity and balance.
Cilantro – Again, you can leave this out or swap in mint.
Garlic and ginger – Two staples in peanut sauce that give it some zip and zing.
Sriracha – Feel free to adjust the amount to your liking.
Honey – A lot of peanut sauces (and peanut dressings) are overwhelmingly sweet, but we add just a bit of honey to balance everything out.
Water – Thins the dressing to your desired consistency.

How to Make Chopped Thai Chicken Salad

This vibrant and flavorful salad is so quick to prepare! Here’s what you’ll need to do.

Overhead view of spicy peanut dressing in bowl with whisk — Make the dressing.

Overhead view of ingredients for chopped Thai chicken salad in bowl before tossing — Make the dressing.

Make the dressing. Whisk all the ingredients together until smooth and creamy.
Assemble the salad. Add all of the salad ingredients to a large bowl.

Pouring peanut dressing into ingredients for Thai salad — Pour the dressing into the salad.

Stirring chopped Thai chicken salad in large bowl — Pour the dressing into the salad.

Dress the salad. Pour the peanut dressing over the Thai chicken salad and toss to coat.

Tips and Variations

Here’s how to make sure your chopped Thai chicken salad turns out perfect for you!

Don’t add more water to the dressing right away. Peanut sauce (and dressing) is weird in the way it mixes up—at first, it will be super thick and feel like it’s not coming together, but as you continue to whisk, it will get smooth and creamy. Don’t add water until you get that smooth and creamy consistency—from there, you can judge whether or not you need to thin it out more.
Meal prep it. This salad holds up well in the fridge for a few days, so it’s perfect for meal prep. Store the dressing separately and add it just before serving to keep the ingredients fresh and crisp.
Switch up the protein. When you don’t have chicken on hand, you can make this recipe with cooked salmon, tofu, or even just add extra veggies instead.

Two bowls filled with chopped Thai chicken salad

How to Store Leftovers

Leftover chopped Thai chicken salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If the salad has already been dressed, the cabbage will “marinate” and soften a bit, but the flavors will still be delicious.