Thai Salad with Grilled Chicken

Healthy Thai Salad with grilled chicken and spicy thai peanut dressing! This Panera classic just got a homemade upgrade. Gluten-free friendly. 

this recipe

Anyone else love a good ‘ole Panera salad?

Their Thai Chicken Salad was always one of my go-to’s.

Luckily it’s really easy to re-create this healthy salad at home and add in some more veggies and other protein options.

Panera Inspired Spicy Thai Salad

Vegetables

You can of course use your choice of salad greens and veggies, but I went with romaine, bell peppers, edamame, red cabbage and carrots.

Protein

Grilled chicken is the traditional protein choice here but feel free to sub another vegetarian, plant-based protein option like tofu or tempeh.

Toppings

• avocado, because who doesn’t want avocado on their salad?
• crunchy wontons, for a Panera-like feel.
• cashew pieces or peanuts, for a little crunch
• cilantro, for a little added flavor

Homemade Thai Peanut Dressing

The Thai peanut dressing really makes this salad and I’m always a big fan of homemade dressing recipes. You’ll need:

• peanut butter
• coconut aminos or tamari or soy sauce
• honey or maple syrup
• sesame oil and rice vingar
• minced garlic and ginger paste
• lime juice and a little milk or water for thinning
• Sriracha, for a little spice if you’d like

You can customize the flavors as you’d like, sub in cashew butter or almond butter as needed.

Use a small blender (like the NutriBullet) or a deep bowl with a small whisk to make the dressing.

So this Thai inspired 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.

Meal Prep Tips

• Wash, dry and chop all of your veggies.
• Grill the chicken or prepare the plant protein.
• Line up storage containers, like these.
• Add in romaine, veggies and top with protein.

If using romaine lettuce, you could drizzle on the dressing up to one day in advance and it will still hold its texture.

If you’re using mixed greens like spring mix and spinach, I’d store the peanut dressing in separate containers, like these, and add to the salad once you’re ready to consume.

More Healthy Salad Recipes

• Easy Chickpea Salad – quick and easy
• Strawberry Mango Salad with Grilled Chicken – perfect dinner salad
• Thai Cashew Quinoa Salad – great for meal prep!
• Shredded Brussels Sprouts Kale Salad with lemon vinaigrette – reader favorite

If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and review below. It helps others find and learn more about the recipe too! Xx Ashley

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