Healthy Thai Salad with grilled chicken and spicy thai peanut dressing! This Panera classic just got a homemade upgrade. Gluten-free friendly.
Guys we leave for Hawaii in three days! I kind of can’t believe. Especially because just this past weekend I was in Ontario visiting my Canadian bestie. Meaning I haven’t really packed yet. EEEK. I plan on taking a little time off early this week to pack and get organized. I got really focused last week to keep up with content for you guys while we’re gone. I won’t be on my regular schedule but I’ll still be sharing some new stuff here and there.
Being a one-woman show and trying to plan a vacation is tough! I of course want to keep up with the blog, seeing that it is my business… But at the same time I feel I should take a break and actually vacation. I am sure you guys won’t mind either way… it’s just me coming to terms with the break. Also it’s that much harder to get back into a schedule and routine when I don’t have some things planned out ahead of time. I may work a little bit while we’re in Hawaii but nothing too rigid.
Note I am also aware just how fortunate we are to take this vacation. I didn’t grow up vacationing all over the world or even the continental US. Our family vacations were places we could drive – because one didn’t typically take 4-6 children on planes when I was growing up. Not only that but honestly my parents couldn’t afford that shit. So our two big vacations a year were our annual summer camping trip in Canada, and the spring break Florida vacation visiting my grandpa.
Even as a young adult vacationing to places overseas seemed so far out of reach. But now that we’re approaching the departure date I am more grateful than ever, and truly appreciate how fortunate we are to travel to places such as the Hawaii islands. Drew and I never took a honeymoon or have yet to take a vacation together (just the two of us) since we got married (maybe even ever?) and I am really looking forward to adventuring together for the first time.
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Anyways it now seems a bit weird to be talking about Hawaii and sharing this Thai salad with you guys but just let it happen.
The thing is I ordered/picked up Panera for dinner the other week and got my usual: Thai Chicken Salad. I freaking love that salad but then when I got home to eat said salad it didn’t taste as fresh as I had hoped. And I thought I really ought to just make a homemade version of this. Read: I need to add avocado to all of my salads and this Thai salad is no exception.
Loaded Thai Salad with Grilled Chicken
what you need
- romaine lettuce
- red bell pepper
- edamame
- red cabbage
- carrots
- avocado
- crunchy wontons
- cashew pieces
- cilantro
- grilled chicken
- homemade Thai peanut dressing (recipe included!)
So this salad is basically just like your Panera favorite but with a few additions like the red cabbage and avocado.
It’s a great salad to prep ahead of time and have for lunch throughout the week.
Plus the dressing is to-die-for. I used peanut butter for a more traditional Thai peanut dressing but you could easily sub cashew butter, almond butter or even sunbutter. All would be delicious.
Highly recommend giving this a try!
How to Make…
Loaded Thai Salad with Grilled Chicken and spicy thai peanut dressing
Loaded Thai Salad with grilled chicken and spicy thai peanut sauce! (panera copycat recipe!)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
for the salad:
- 1.5 lbs chicken breast
- 1/2 TBS avocado oil, for cooking chicken
- salt & pepper for chicken
- 8 cups chopped romaine
- 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup shelled edamame
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage, diced
- 2 orange carrots, shredded (I used vegetable peeler)
- 1/2 cup cashew pieces
- 1 large avocado, sliced
- wonton toppers (optional)
Thai peanut dressing:
- 1/3 cup peanut butter
- 3 TBS coconut aminos (soy sauce or tamari)
- 2 TBS honey (agave or maple syrup also works)
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp rice vinegar (can sub apple cider vinegar)
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp ginger paste (or 1 tsp freshly grated ginger)
- juice of 1 lime (optional but adds nice flavor)
- 2 TBS non-dairy milk or water (I used cashew)
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken: Heat cast iron skillet or grill pan over medium heat. Once pan is hot, add about 1/2 tablespoon of oil. Trim any extra fat off chicken breast. Season chicken with salt & pepper; cook on one side for 3-4 minutes before flipping to other side and cooking through. Cook until middle is no longer pink or internal temperature is 165ºF. Place on cutting board and slice chicken.
- Prepare the salad: In large bowl add all ingredients for salad, except avocado and wontons. Toss with tongs to mix salad together well.
- Make the dressing: add all ingredients into small blender or food processor. Process until smooth – add milk or water 1 TBS at a time if thinner consistency is desired.
- Portion out salad for desired servings and sliced avocado and wontons if using. Top with grilled chicken and drizzle with Thai peanut dressing. Enjoy!
Recipes Notes:
Store leftover dressing in covered container in fridge up to 1 week.
This salad is great for meal prep! Portion out salad into individual containers for easy packed lunch or dinner salad.
VEGETARIAN SUB: Feel free to sub chicken for tempeh or organic tofu.
SOME OF THE PRODUCTS I USED IN TODAY’S RECIPE
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