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Chopped Thai Crunch Chicken Salad. With lots and lots of crispy, salty, fried wontons. This yummy Thai-inspired salad is a mix of fresh greens, chicken, mango, creamy avocado, and delicious crunchy peanuts, all topped with those delicious crispy wontons. Everything is tossed together with my favorite toasted sesame, garlic, and ginger peanut dressing. I’m pretty sure you’ll find it delicious. This salad is a wonderful mix of savory, sweet, and salty. It’s no-cook, easy to toss together, bright and colorful, plus, of course, totally delicious!
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This salad! Ah, of all the salads I’ve shared, this one might be the most addicting. I have to blame that all on the salty peanut dressing. Anything peanut butter, plus sweet and savory, is always on the addictive side. We love it.
With Easter taking place this weekend, I’ve been in major spring mode – even though it’s still March. We actually had a full week of sunshine, so it did feel like spring would soon be here! But, alas, the snow is back, such is life in the mountains.
The upcoming holiday and sunshine inspired a handful of bright new recipes. This salad being one of them!
When I first started cooking, I used to make this exact peanut dressing for grilled chicken. Until now, I’ve always saved the dressing for summer days. But it’s so delicious tossed up in this yummy Thai-inspired salad, why wait?
This salad will be great for serving over Easter. It’s a light spring dinner, and what’s even better is that any leftovers can be enjoyed for lunch the following day!
OK, these are the details
Step 1: make the peanut dressing
This is one of the yummiest dressings. It’s a mix of creamy peanut butter, tamari (or soy sauce), toasted sesame oil (this adds such a good flavor; if you have it, definitely use it), lime juice, garlic, pickled ginger, spicy red Fresno peppers, hot sauce (try sambal oelek or sriracha), and honey.
I prefer to mix everything together in the food processor and then thin it out with the ginger juice from the pickled ginger jar.
If you do not love spicy, you can omit the hot sauce and or chile pepper.
Step 2: the wontons
This step is not technically a part of the recipe. You can choose to buy store-bought crispy wontons or make your own.
If you make your own, you just need oil for frying, wonton wrappers (or use egg roll wraps), and sea salt. I fry the wonton strips in hot oil, then sprinkle with sea salt and sometimes lime zest. These are so yummy!
Step 3: the salad
Next up is the salad. I use shredded green cabbage, shredded chicken, carrots, and mango. Then I mix in chopped Thai basil, cilantro, and green onions too.
For the CRUNCH – peanuts and toasted sesame seeds.
And the sliced avocados go on top!
Step 4: toss it
Now toss the chopped salad with the peanut dressing. I use half the dressing, then save the remaining dressing for serving.
The dressing really is key, it’s what brings in all the flavor. Then finish the salad with extra avocado slices and so many fried wontons, they are delicious! Oh, and lots of extra dressing and lime juice too!
Fresh and totally delish! A great salad for spring and summer.
Looking for other dinner ideas?
Crockpot White Chicken Chili Burrito Bowls
Red’s Favorite Spicy Tuna Poke Bowls
Skillet Chicken Adobo with Coconut Rice
30 Minute Pineapple Chicken with Coconut Rice
Weeknight Sesame Teriyaki Chicken with Ginger Rice
Sesame Ginger Orange Chicken Salad
Lastly, if you make this Chopped Thai Crunch Chicken Salad, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Chopped Thai Crunch Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Peanut Dressing
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/3 cup tamari/soy sauce
- 1/3 cup toasted sesame oil, (or olive oil)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 tablespoon chopped pickled ginger
- 1 jalapeño or Fresno pepper, chopped (seeded if desired)
- 2-3 tablespoons hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
Salad
- 4 cups shredded cabbage
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 1 1/2 cups shredded carrot
- 1 cup chopped cilantro/basil
- 1/2 cup chopped or thinly sliced mango
- 1/3 cup chopped peanuts
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 1/3 cup chopped green onions
- crispy wontons, for serving, (see notes)
Instructions
- 1. To make the dressing. Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Pulse to combine, thin with water as desired. 2. To make the salad. In a salad bowl, combine the cabbage, chicken, carrots, herbs, mango, and peanuts. Pour over half the dressing, then toss to coat the greens. 3. Add the fried wontons, sesame seeds, green onions, and serve with a squeeze of lime. ENJOY the yumminess.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
We love this main dish salad, but I have a question. Step 2 says “toss with half the dressing.” What happens to the other half?
Hey Lisa,
Happy Monday!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for making it! You can use the other half of the dressing as needed:) xT
Delicious quick summer dinner! I made an Asian chicken marinade and my husband grilled the chicken while I assembled the salad. So much flavor!!! I also added some chopped red pepper to the mix. I was surprised at how well the mango and peanut dressing paired. Yum! The whole family loved it.
Hey Kelly,
Awesome!! So glad to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for making it:) Thanks for sharing your feedback! xT
Really good and easy to make
Hi Meghan,
Wonderful!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and your comment, love to hear that it was enjoyed! x
So yummy! The dressing is fantastic!
Hey Kimberly,
Wonderful!! I’m so glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it:) Have a great weekend! xT
This was a fantastic way to switch up salad night! The crunch of the wontons with the creamy sauce was perfect.
Hey Kylie,
Love to hear that this salad was a hit, thanks for making it and your feedback! Have a great Friday! xT
This is a stellar, hearty salad. Cabbage, peanuts, and fried wontons add so much crunch and the dressing is all about flavor. I add more chicken and use all 3 TBS of sambal oelek. A perfect no-cook meal for the summer!
Hey Cheryl,
Fantastic!! So glad to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for giving it a try and your comment! Xx
Hi Tieghan!
My husband is allergic to mango, what is a good alternative?
Hey Megan,
Pineapple would also be delicious here! Let me know if you give this salad a try, I hope you love it! xT
This was a huge hit. I subbed in premade chow mein noodles. The sauce was soooo good. This would be perfect for a summer barbecue pot luck.
Hey Maura,
Wonderful! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you making it and your feedback! xT
Amazing! I forgot to add the mango the first day I had it, and it was still delicious. But with the mango, YUM! I also didn’t have the wonton topping or the shredded carrots. (Without those extras, half the peanut sauce was enough, but proportions would have been perfect if I had those things). I had this three days in a row for lunch and it held up great in the fridge, adding the sauce when I was ready to eat each time.
Hey Madeline,
Awesome! I’m so glad to hear that this salad was enjoyed and I appreciate you making it! xT
This was a delight. I also added edamame instead of avocado. Thank you T!
Hi Susie,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, love to hear that it was enjoyed! Xx
Hello. My store did not have pickled ginger and I was thinking it was a topping. I’m already starting to make the recipe. Any substitute you could recommend?
Hi Britt,
No worries, it should be okay without it:) I hope you love this recipe! xT
My family loved this salad. I did have to use canned mango but still turned out great. Love your recipes-so much flavor!
Hey Sharie,
I’m so glad to hear this! Thanks so much for trying this salad and sharing your feedback! xT
Another great, quick, & tasty dish. We had it twice last week, and will enjoy it many more times in the future!! Thank you for producing all of your easy & wonderful recipes!
Hey Barbara,
Happy Monday! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for making it! Xx
Dressing was so salty we couldn’t even eat it.
Hi April,
So very sorry to hear the dressing was so salty for you. Did you use soy sauce? I would try low sodium soy sauce next time or coconut aminos. I hope this helps! xT
So so so very delicious!
Make sure you measure everything correctly or could come out to salty . Make sure you taste test . Mine came out perfect! I used plenty of honey to balance all the other ingredients out . I used chopped garlic and grated ginger . I used a my smoothie blender to blend everything and added a bit of water , like 1/4 cup but taste it and you can add whatever is missing ❤️❤️❤️
Thanks so much, Jennifer:) I’m so glad you enjoyed this salad and appreciate the feedback! xT
Whole family loved it!! Plus Easy to make. WIN!! Next time I’m gonna try and make homemade wonton instead of the store bought.
Hi Pamela,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for trying this salad and your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT