Quick Look at this Rotisserie Chicken Salad (Easy 20 Minute Dinner)
- Ready In: 20 minutes!
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Difficulty Level: easy, beginner-level
- Protein: 54g/serving
- Main Ingredients: rotisserie chicken, shredded cabbage, carrots, cilantro, bell pepper, green onions, and a homemade peanut dressing!
- Dietary Info: dairy-free and options to make it Whole30, Paleo, and gluten-free
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Why You’ll Eat This Salad On Repeat!
- No cooking required – perfect for the dog days of summer!
- Bright and fresh flavors → mango, cilantro, green onions, etc.
- Meal prep friendly for easy dinners or lunch on-the-go!
- Homemade dressing made with 10 real, simple ingredients in 5 minutes.
Key Ingredients + Substitutions
Be sure to see the recipe card below for a full listing of ingredients, instructions, and estimated nutritional information.
- Rotisserie Chicken – pick one up from your local grocery store or cook your own chicken by making an oven roasted spatchcock chicken or easy poached chicken breasts.
- Green and Purple Cabbage – get busy cutting your own or grab a coleslaw mix from the grocery store.
- Peanut Butter – when making the homemade salad dressing, feel free to use creamy peanut butter or cashew butter.
How to Make Thai Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing
Step 1 – Whisk together the peanut dressing.
Step 2 – Shred the rotisserie chicken meat.
Troubleshooting The Dressing Texture
When making the peanut dressing, start with 2 tablespoons water, look at the consistency and see if you need to add more. Whisk in another 1 tablespoon of water at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
Step 3 – Build individual salads and serve with the dressing.
Or put all of the salad ingredients and dressing in a large bowl; toss to combine.
Erin’s Testing Tips: What We Learned
👉 Buying a bag of coleslaw mix is a great shortcut to take instead of shredding cabbage.
👉 Mangos can be tricky to cut, if you need help see how to cut a mango!
👉 Adding crunch is a must! Highly recommend tossing some peanuts and/or wonton strips on this salad.
👉 This super easy chopped salad can be enjoyed by drizzling the dressing on top right before eating or toss it all in a large bowl with the dressing and serve from there.
Best Ways To Serve This Rotisserie Chicken Chopped Salad
This incredibly easy Thai peanut rotisserie chicken salad is best enjoyed with the creamy peanut dressing on top, lime wedges for that fresh squeeze of lime juice, and added crunch from the wonton strips and peanuts. The perfect quick and easy weeknight dinner!
Thai Peanut Rotisserie Chicken Salad FAQs
Yes, I have also tested this recipe with cashew butter and that was also delicious. The amount of water might vary, so start small and add more if needed.
Yes, feel free to shred the chicken, chop the fresh ingredients, and make the dressing ahead of time. Store separately to keep for longer (4-5 days) or toss everything together and keep for 24-48 hours. Storing everything together makes the fresh ingredients a bit soggy and therefore don’t keep as long.
Other Chicken Salads For Dinner You Might Like
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Ingredients
Peanut Dressing:
- ⅓ cup drippy, creamy peanut butter, sub cashew butter
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce, sub tamari for gluten-free
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons water, more or less, as needed
Chopped Salad:
- 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded (about 4-6 cups)
- 1 mango, diced or peeled into ribbons
- 4 cups green cabbage, shredded
- 2 cups purple cabbage, shredded
- 1 cup carrots, shredded
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced and cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ cup green onions, sliced
- ½ cup peanuts, chopped (sub cashews)
Optional Garnish Options:
- ¼ cup wonton strips
- lime wedges, garnish for fresh lime juice
- black sesame seeds
Instructions
- Make Dressing: In a small bowl, add ⅓ cup drippy, creamy peanut butter, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon garlic, 1 teaspoon lime juice, 1 teaspoon lime zest, 1 teaspoon ginger paste, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, ½ teaspoon rice vinegar, and 2 tablespoons water (add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if you want a less thick consistency). Whisk until fully incorporated.
- Build Salad: In a large serving bowl, add the shredded chicken, mango, 4 cups green cabbage, 2 cups purple cabbage, 1 cup carrots, 1 cup fresh cilantro, sliced bell peppers, ½ cup green onions, ½ cup peanuts. Toss to combine.
- Add Dressing: Pour the peanut dressing over the salad and give it all a big mix to combine.
- Serve: Enjoy with some wonton strips, black sesame seeds, and lime wedges for that fresh squeeze of lime juice!
Notes
- Salad Ingredients and Amounts: These are very flexible. Feel free to vary the amounts of each salad ingredient or adjust to what you have in the fridge.
- Meal Prep: This could easily be meal-prepped for work (similar to this Work Lunch Greek Chicken Salad). Store the dressing separately to add later to avoid sogginess.
- Roast a Chicken: Love the ease of buying a rotisserie chicken, but you could also make our Sunday Butterflied Chicken, if you prefer to make your own.
- Chicken Breasts: You could also simply boil whole boneless chicken breasts on the stove top for approx. 20 minutes (or until chicken is fully cooked) and then shred.
Nutrition
Stephanie says
Love how healthy and fresh this is. Changes up the regular old salad.
Angela says
YUM! What a fresh lunch idea. I can’t wait to try this.
Tiara L Atkinson says
I love this recipe but I was wondering if you knew the calories per serving?
Erin says
Hi Tiara – I don’t know them off the top of my head, but I know there are tons of calorie calculators out there that you could plug it in to!
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! Does the dressing keep long?
Suzanne says
This looks so good! Do you use this dressing for any other recipes?
Renee says
I found the dressing to be really salty. Next time, I might sub the water for coconut milk.