Thai Salad with Coconut Chicken
Thai Salad with Coconut Chicken is a delicious main course salad. I start my salad by marinating the chicken in coconut milk and spices. Then, I grill the chicken on a grill pan. Next, I make a Sweet and Sour Dressing filled with lime and mint. Finally, I toss both the chicken and dressing with Spring greens, carrots, bell peppers, cucumbers, radishes, and peanuts.
The Equipment I Used
- A Grill Pan- I like to cook my chicken for this recipe on a nonstick grill pan.
- A Jar- I find that shaking my dressing in a small jar is the perfect way to get it all mixed up.
- A Salad Spinner- This is the easiest way to get your lettuce dry. If your lettuce is nice and dry, the dressing will really cling to it. But, dressing just falls off of wet lettuce.
- A Big Bowl- It’s important to mix up your salad in a big bowl. That way you’ll taste the dressing in every bite.
The Ingredients Needed for Thai Salad with Coconut Chicken
- Chicken- I used chicken breasts, but if you prefer thighs that’s fine. They’ll just take a little longer to cook.
- Coconut Milk- I used canned coconut milk.
- Fish Sauce- You can find this in the Asian section of your market. It has a rather strong odor, which put me off of it for a long time. But, now I really like the flavor it lends to dishes.
- Cilantro and Mint- These fresh herbs add so much delicious flavor to this dressing.
- Rice Wine Vinegar- You can find this in either the vinegar or Asian sections of your market.
How I Made My Salad
- First, I made the marinade for my chicken.
- Next, I grilled the chicken. It’s very important to make sure your chicken is cooked through.
- Then, I made the dressing.
- Finally, I tossed the vegetables together with the dressing and the chicken.
My husband tells me this Thai Salad with Coconut Chicken is his new favorite salad. Which, is a very nice thing to hear!
Thai Salad with Coconut Chicken
Grilled chicken on top of spring greens with a sweet and sour dressing.
Ingredients
For the Coconut Chicken:
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 tsp. fish sauce
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 tsp. coriander powder
- ½ tsp. each cumin powder and black pepper
- ¼ tsp. each powdered yellow mustard and powdered ginger
- ¼ tsp. fennel seed
For the Sweet and Sour Dressing:
- 2 tbsp. each chopped cilantro and mint
- 1 tbsp. minced garlic
- ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- ¼ each olive oil and rice wine vinegar
For the Vegetables:
- 4 cups Spring greens
- 1 cup sliced cucumbers
- 1 cup peeled and sliced carrots
- 1 cup sliced radishes
- 1 cup sliced yellow or red bell peppers
- ¼ cup chopped peanuts
Instructions
For the Coconut Chicken:
- In a bowl, mix everything but the chicken together.
- Cut the chicken breasts in half horizontally, and then pound them to an even thickness of about half an inch thick. Place them in the marinade, and let them sit while you heat the grill pan.
- Grill the chicken on a hot grill pan, with a little bit of olive oil. Use medium heat, and cook the breast pieces, a few at a time until they're cooked through. Let them chill in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the salad.
- Chop the chicken into bite sized pieces before tossing them with the rest of the salad ingredients.
For the Sweet and Sour Dressing:
- In a small jar, shake all the ingredients together.
To Assemble the Salad:
- Toss all the vegetables, chicken, and peanuts in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over everything and toss until everything is well coated with the dressing.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
