Chopped Thai-inspired Chicken Salad

From: Pinch of Yum

Ingredients
  

  • Thai Chicken Salad
  • 3-4 cups cups cooked shredded chicken
  • 1 head of green cabbage 3–4 cups shredded, or a pre-chopped bagged cabbage kit
  • 1-1 large carrots 2 cups grated
  • 1 green papaya or mango 1–2 cups grated (optional - did not use)
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro chopped
  • 1/2 cup peanuts chopped
  • 1/2 cup green onions sliced
  • 3-4 red serrano peppers sliced, optional
  • salt and lime juice to taste

Peanut Dressing

  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup sesame oil toasted or dark
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons sambal oelek sriracha works, too
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • a small knob of fresh ginger peeled
  • a clove of fresh garlic peeled
  • 1/4 cup water to thin to desired consistency

Instructions
 

  • Chop and prep salad
  • Dressing: Pulse all ingredients in the food processor or blender. Adjust consistency with water.
  • Thai Chicken Salad Assembly: Toss the salad ingredients in a big bowl with a drizzle of peanut dressing so everything gets coated. Season with salt and lime juice, and maybe a shot of fish sauce if you’re feeling wild. Serve chilled.

Notes

Chicken: Pulled rotisserie chicken works great. You can also cook chicken breasts in the Instant Pot (12 minutes, with about a cup of water, plus salt and pepper) and then shred them.
Cabbage: You want the cabbage to be very thin, like it would be for coleslaw. I did this with a mandoline.
Leftovers / Make Ahead: You can keep this for a few hours once it’s tossed with dressing – like if you make it for lunch, it’ll be pretty okay for dinner. But for best results, keep the leftover salad and dressing separate until ready to serve.