Bang Bang Chicken Salad
This Bang Bang Chicken Salad is fresh, colorful, and packed with bold flavor. Juicy grilled chicken, crisp vegetables, creamy homemade bang bang dressing, and optional crispy rice come together for an easy lunch or dinner that's perfect for meal prep.
Ingredients
Grilled Chicken Thighs:
- 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs about 1¼ pounds
- ⅓ cup soy sauce sub tamari for gluten-free
- kosher salt and ground black pepper
Crispy Rice:
- 3 cups cooked rice
- teaspoons chili garlic sauce
- ¾ teaspoon sesame oil
Bang Bang Dressing:
- ½ cup mayo
- 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
- 1½ tablespoons water adjust amount, if needed
Other Salad Ingredients:
- 4 cups romaine lettuce chopped
- 1½ cups mini cucumbers quartered
- 1 cup purple cabbage shredded & chopped
- 2 avocados diced
- ¾ cup matchstix carrots
- ⅔ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- ⅓ cup green onions chopped
Instructions
- Quick Chicken Marinade: Put 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs in a large bowl or shallow baking dish and pour ⅓ cup soy sauce over the top. Toss to coat and let marinate while you prep the rest of the ingredients (approx. 10-15 minutes).
- Make Crispy Rice: In a large bowl, add 3 cups cooked rice, teaspoons chili garlic sauce, ¾ teaspoon sesame oil, and a pinch of kosher salt and ground black pepper. Toss to combine. Line the basket of the air fryer (if needed) and spread the seasoned rice in an even layer in the bottom. Air fry at 400℉ for about 15 minutes (stirring every 5 minutes) or until it reaches your desired crispness.
- Prep: Preheat the grill to a medium-high heat (450-500℉) and make sure the grill grates are clean.
- Make Dressing: In a small bowl, add ½ cup mayo, 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce, teaspoons chili garlic sauce, and 1½ tablespoons water (adjust amount, as needed, to reach desired consistency). Mix and set aside.
- Grill Chicken: Remove the chicken thighs from the marinade, allowing excess to drip off. Spray grill grates with a non-stick spray and place the chicken thighs right on the grates to cook over direct heat. Turn the heat down slightly and let cook for 5 minutes. Flip and let cook for another 3-5 minutes or until the internal temperature at the thickest part of the meat reaches 162℉ (use a meat thermometer).
- Rest: Let the chicken rest on a cutting board for 5-10 minutes and then cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Assemble Salads: In a large bowl, add chopped romaine, cucumbers, purple cabbage, diced avocados, ¾ cup matchstix carrots, ⅔ cup fresh cilantro, chopped green onions, and the cut-up chicken. Toss to combine.
- Serve: Add the crispy rice to the salad, pour the dressing over the top, and toss it all to combine. Enjoy!
Notes
- Crispy Rice: Crispy rice is totally optional for this recipe, but it is super fun and adds a fun crunch and texture. Highly recommend making crispy rice in your air fryer, if you have one, but if you don't checkout our tutorial on how to make crispy rice for oven instructions.
- Chicken Options: If you don't have a grill or don't feel like grilling you can go the super-easy route and use shredded rotisserie chicken. Other options include making some grilled chicken breasts, grilled chicken cutlets, cast iron chicken thighs or smoked chicken thighs. Love using the air-fryer? Follow our instructions for bite sized air fried chicken from our bang bang chicken rice bowls.
- Gluten-Free: simply use tamari to marinate the chicken thighs instead of soy sauce.
- Serving: Note that if you dress the salad right away and then store leftovers, the rice will naturally get softer - so if you are meal prepping or anticipate leftovers I would recommend having everyone add dressing to their own salads and then store leftover dressing separately from the leftover salad.
- Storage: leftover salad can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for about a day, but the rice will start to soften. To keep everything fresh & crisp, wait to add the dressing until ready to eat and store separately.
Nutrition
Calories: 469kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.05g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 1235mg | Potassium: 803mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 5895IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 2mg
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