This chicken dinner salad combines marinated, then quickly skillet-cooked, chicken with a Satay-style peanut sauce, cucumber, red onion, and lettuce. It’s an easy and flavourful Summer dinner salad that can be enjoyed with freshly cooked warm chicken or make-ahead cold chicken.
This chicken and peanut sauce salad is a fabulous dinner salad, combining warm, sliced chicken with a flavourful Satay-style peanut sauce. Lots of fresh cucumber, red onion and lettuce round out the salad.
The chicken marinates for as little as 1 hour (or for up to 8 hours). The marinade adds both another layer of flavour to the chicken, but gives it a bit of colour. No anemic-looking chicken here!
The chicken is quickly cooked in a skillet on the stovetop before being sliced and added to the salad. The 3-ingredient, no-cook, lick-the-spoon delicious peanut sauce ensures a full-flavoured dinner!
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Boneless chicken breasts – I’ve used boneless chicken breasts here, but boneless chicken thighs would also work. You’ll need 5 or 6 chicken thighs for the base recipe.
Tamari – Tamari is the Japanese equivalent of soy sauce. It is darker, thicker and less salty than soy sauce. It is also gluten-free, if that is a consideration. In this case, I love that Tamari lends a nice colour to the skillet-cooked chicken. Regular soy sauce can be substituted 1 for 1, though low-sodium soy sauce is recommended.
Curry powder – A mild generic curry powder is perfect for the marinade, though you can use a spicier version if you prefer.
Peanut butter – Natural peanut butter is perfect for the peanut sauce, though regular peanut butter will work just fine. I’ve used smooth peanut butter here, but crunchy is fine, too.
Thai sweet chili sauce – This is the type of chili sauce that is often used as a dip. It is sweet and not super spicy. See the recipe tips below for a homemade version.
Shallot – Red onion is a fine substitute if you don’t have shallots on hand.
Lettuce – You can use any lettuce you enjoy or have on hand. I have used a butter lettuce here. Leaf lettuce or Spring mix would also work well.
Pomegranate molasses – this is optional, but if you happen to have it in your pantry, a drizzle over the finished salad is lovely!
How to make peanut chicken salad: step-by-step
This is a visual summary of the steps to make this recipe. Scroll down to the Recipe Card below for the complete list of ingredients and instructions.
Step 1: Start by mixing together the chicken marinade.
Step 2: Add the marinade and chicken to a plastic zipper bag (or bowl) and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 8 hours.
Step 3: Cook the marinated chicken quickly in a skillet.
Step 4: While the chicken cooks, add the peanut sauce ingredients to a bowl.
Step 5: Stir together the sauce and set aside.
Step 6: Remove the chicken to a cutting board and let it rest while you gather the rest of the salad ingredients. Slice the chicken and add it to the salad. Drizzle it with the peanut sauce.
Recipe tips!
- You can make your own Thai sweet chili sauce by combining 1/3 cup water, 1/3 cup honey, 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar, 1/2-1 teaspoon of chili flakes, 1 clove of garlic, minced and 1 1/2 teaspoons of cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Heat the mixture over medium heat until it simmers and thickens.
- You can enjoy this salad with warm, freshly cooked chicken, or cook the chicken ahead and refrigerate it to add to the salad later. Use it cold, at room temperature or warm it a bit in the microwave or in a skillet.
Variations
If you’d like to add a little colour to this salad, pomegranate arils would be perfect. I think diced mango would also pair nicely with the peanut sauce.
You could also cook the marinated chicken on the BBQ if you like. Be careful not to overcook, to keep the chicken tender and moist.
Making ahead and storing
There is some making-ahead built into this salad, as you can prepare the chicken to marinate early in the day to quickly cook later. You could also cook the chicken early in the day and refrigerate it until dinner time. Enjoy the chicken cold or at room temperature, or warm it a bit in a skillet or microwave, if you like.
The peanut sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
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Get the Recipe: Chicken and Peanut Sauce Green Salad
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise into 4 thin fillets
Chicken marinade:
- 1 Tablespoon tamari, *see Note 1 below
- 1 teaspoon mild curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon honey, or 3/4 teaspoon white sugar
Peanut Sauce:
- 3 Tablespoons peanut butter, natural peanut butter recommended
- 3 Tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce, *see Note 2 below
- 3 Tablespoons lime juice, freshly squeezed recommended
- 2-3 Tablespoons warm water, as needed, to thin the sauce to a pourable consistency
For the salad:
- 4 cups lettuce, butter lettuce, leaf lettuce, Spring mix etc.
- 1/2 Persian cucumber, quartered and sliced into 3/4-inch pieces
- 2-3 shallots, or red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- cilantro, chopped
- pomegranate molasses, optional
- lime wedges, for drizzling
Instructions
- Slice the 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (sliced in half lengthwise into 4 thin fillets) in half lengthwise into 4 thin fillets. Add to a plastic zipper bag or a bowl.
- In a small bowl, stir together the 1 Tablespoon tamari (*see Note 1 below), 1 teaspoon mild curry powder, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, 1 clove garlic (minced) and 1 teaspoon honey (or 3/4 teaspoon white sugar). Add the marinade to the chicken and shake or stir to coat the chicken well. Refrigerate the chicken for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours.
- When you are ready to cook the chicken, heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once heated, add the marinated chicken to the skillet and cover the skillet with a lid. Cook 5-6 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through cooking, just until the chicken is cooked through to 165F internal temperature. Remove the cooked chicken to a cutting board to rest.
- While the chicken is cooking, add the 3 Tablespoons peanut butter (natural peanut butter recommended), 3 Tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce (*see Note 2 below) and 3 Tablespoons lime juice (freshly squeezed recommended) to a small bowl or measuring cup. Stir well until smooth. Add 2-3 Tablespoons warm water (as needed, to thin the sauce to a pourable consistency) as needed to create a pourable sauce. Set aside.
- While the chicken is resting, assemble the salad by adding the 4 cups lettuce (butter lettuce, leaf lettuce, Spring mix etc.) to the bottom of the plate (or plates). Scatter with the 2-3 shallots (or red onion, peeled and thinly sliced), 1/2 Persian cucumber (quartered and sliced into 3/4-inch pieces) and cilantro (chopped).
- When the chicken has rested, slice diagonally and add to the salad(s). Drizzle the salad with peanut sauce. If desired, drizzle with a bit of pomegranate molasses. Serve with lime wedges, for drizzling.
Notes
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Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress-free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
