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Extra saucy, sweet and spicy, Thai Peanut Chicken Ramen Noodle Salad. Best for those days when you need to eat healthy, but don’t want another boring salad. A fresh mix of lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, ramen noodles, shredded chicken, and avocado. Toss it all up with a sweet and spicy Thai peanut sauce for a salad that’s healthy and satisfying. Best part? You can make the salad ahead of time for summer picnics or working lunches. One important thing, always go heavy on the peanut sauce! It’s the best.
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Is this weird? Ramen noodles in a salad? I wondered if it was, but I blocked all those thoughts out of my head and made this salad anyway. Sure, it might be a little weird, but it’s also beyond good, and the perfect way to enjoy ramen noodles during the warmer months of the year.
And let’s be real, it’s kind of fun putting noodles in your salad, especially ramen.
I’m not really sure how this idea came to be exactly. But after a lot of brainstorming I kind of just threw it together. And you know what? It worked, I loved it, and all was good. It’s a cross between salad, peanut noodles, and ramen…minus the broth of course. It’s extra saucy, a touch spicy, so full of crunchy vegetables. Really every bite is darn good.
In my recent favorite’s post I asked you all what summer recipes you’d like to see me share. There was an overwhelming request for potluck style recipes. AKA recipes that you can make ahead of time and bring to your friend’s parties.
When I think potluck, my mind goes to cheesy potato casserole, mac and cheese, pasta salad, and mom’s Special K-Bars. Yes, I am clearly a child of the midwest, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Cheesy potatoes forever and ever…and ever.
My other memories of summertime potluck recipes? Peanut noodle salad…the one my Aunt Katie used to make. It was a crazy combo and I can’t really remember all of the ingredients. While this Ramen noodle salad isn’t exactly like my Aunt Katie’s, it reminds me of hers. This also reminds me that I need to get Aunt Katie’s recipe from my cousins and share it with you all. Because you can never have too many peanut noodle salad recipes, right? For sure. So Marge? Abigail? Leave the recipe in the comments, please.
Alright, and moving along.
This salad is pretty simple. Grab all your veggies and toss them into a bowl. Add a diced mango, shredded chicken, and cooked brown rice ramen noodles, this is my favorite brand. The taste is just like Top Ramen, but minus all the bad for you ingredients. I’m very into the Lotus brand and always keep them stocked. Always.
Now, the sauce. This is my go-to peanut sauce. It’s extra peanutty, spicy, and sweetened ever so lightly with honey. It’s ADDICTIVE. If you have any leftover it will be gone in .3 seconds. It’s delicious on everything from pasta, to grilled chicken, to vegetables, to toast…it’s even good on a spoon. You shouldn’t have any leftovers, but if you want to be forward thinking, double the sauce recipe and use throughout the week.
Now add the sauce to the salad and toss, and that’s kind of it. This is one of those, dump it all in, toss and enjoy salads. I could not love it more. Also, if you’re vegetarian/vegan, just omit the chicken and you’ll automatically have a vegan salad.
If you’re making this ahead of time, just keep the salad and peanut sauce separate until you’re ready to serve. This will ensure you get a nice crunchy salad that’s heavy on the sauce and not soggy.
When it comes to salads, this is the least boring of them all. I strongly encourage you to make it, and soon. It will take you less than 30 minutes, and it’s healthy! Major bonuses for a Thursday…that I really just want/need to be Friday. Because this “short” week is feeling like the longest week ever!
If you make this Thai peanut chicken ramen noodle 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!
Thai Peanut Chicken Ramen Noodle Salad.
Ingredients
- 2 packages brown rice ramen noodles, seasoning packet discarded
- 3 heads romaine lettuce, shredded
- 4 carrots, shredded
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 1 mango, diced
- 1/2 cup each fresh cilantro and basil, roughly chopped
- 1 cup cooked shredded chicken
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1/3 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
Jalapeño Peanut Sauce
- 1/4 cup sesame oil
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey, (use maple syrup if vegan)
- 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 Jalapeño, chopped, and seeded, if desired
Instructions
- 1. Cook the rice noodles according to package directions. Drain2. In a large salad bowl, combine the lettuce, carrots, green onions, cucumbers, mangos, cilantro, and basil. Add the chicken and noodles. 3. To make the peanut sauce. Combine all ingredients in a glass jar or measuring cup and shake (or whisk) until completely smooth. If needed, thin the sauce with a couple tablespoons water or coconut milk. 4. Just before serving, pour the sauce over the salad, tossing to combine. Top the salad with avocado and peanuts. Serve and enjoy!
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.
This peanut sauce is EVERYTHING! I didn’t add the jalapeno, but the curry paste made it the perfect amount of spicy for my husband and me. I didn’t have mango to add to the salad either, but will absolutely make this again and add it. I love that I can prep the salad ahead of time and then throw everything together when we’re ready. A very filling salad, and I’ll certainly be adding this to our recipe rotation! Thanks, Tieghan!
Yes! I am so glad you have been loving this recipe, Blayre! Thank you so much for trying it!! xTieghan
I made this tonight and it was amazing. The only substitution I made was Harissa in lieu of red Thai curry paste (couldn’t find it} and I skipped the mango. Definitely a keeper. The dressing is soooo delicious ?
Thank you so much! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I ordered a pack of brown rice ramen, so am making my way through your ramen recipes to use it up! Made this for lunch today. Delicious!! Perfect on this hot summer day!
Yes!! I am so glad this turned out so well for you, Janet! xTieghan
Perfect summer dinner! Added some kale and arugula. Deleted the jalapeno- soo delicious!
Thank you Darla! I am so happy to hear that! xTieghan
Very interesting post and you please make video for helpful for visitors.
Thank you! xTieghan
Wow, I tried this out today with some variations of the main ingredients but the peanut sauce is amazing (some subs) :). Reminded me of the P F Chang’s peanut sauce, lovely stuff.
Thank you Maryam! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Made this last night. So GOOD! I didn’t have mango so I used pineapple- not a bad alternative. Also didn’t have all the correct ingredients for the dressing so I used olive oil and garam masala and turmeric instead of curry paste. Still turned out delicious. I live in Costa Rica so having the right ingredients is tricky sometimes. But I love this concept of a cold salad given how hot it is here 🙂 Thanks for another winning recipe!
Hi Suzanne! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
Thanks for a delicious recipe! I used Thai rice noodles instead of ramen. The dish was filling and colorful with the abundance of fresh veggies and mango. You can easily increase or decrease amounts to serve just 2 or 20 people.
Love that! Thank you so much Melissa! xTieghan
Hello! This recipe looks amazing and I’m planning to try it out soon, but I had a question about the carrots. How do you get them to look like the ones in the photo? Is there a special shredding tool or something? They look very pretty like that and I image the texture is different than the standard shred.
Hey Sarah! I just use a vegetable peeler to peel the carrots into ribbons. Linked to my peeler below. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
https://rstyle.me/+7qDzelHJixDLI9BLDYjuwQ
Made this last night as a side dish without the chicken, kit was so delicious and my family loved it. Will definitely make again!
Thank you so much Kely! xTieghan
I made this recipe this week for my meal prep for work lunches. It is phenomenal! The only change I made was I used a bag of coleslaw mix rather than romaine so the salad would last longer as leftovers. I blended the sauce and added it at work. I can’t say enough good things about this recipe! Highly recommend!
Thank you so much Gretchen! I am so glad you loved this recipe! xTieghan
Tieghan; as I am gathering the ingredients to make this yummy-sounding salad, I want to be sure that each of the two packages required are to be 10 ounces as specified in the link you provided. Thanks!
Hey Maggie! Yes, it is 10 ounce packages. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I’ve made this twice and it is amazing! Super easy and so wonderful!
Thank you Lauren! xTieghan
We made this just the other night and it is fantastic! Would serve this as a main meal for guests, soooo very good!
Thank you so much Alan! I am so glad you enjoyed this and I hope your guests do as well! xTieghan
This was absolutely delicious and very simple! I will be making this all the time now, thank you!!
Thank you so much Lisa! xTieghan