Creamy, fresh, and accented with a spicy chili kick and crunchy almonds, this deliciously exotic salad is excellent for lunch or dinner.
Ingredients List
- 12 oz boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 5 Tbsp creamy unsweetened almond butter
- 3 Tbsp plus 2 tsp avocado oil, divided
- 2 Tbsp chili garlic sauce
- 2 Tbsp plus 1 tsp rice vinegar, divided
- 2 tsp tamari, or gluten-free soy sauce
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 English cucumber, peeled and sliced into thin strips or spiralized
- 1/2 head iceberg lettuce, cored and sliced thin (about 4 cups)
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and julienned (about 1 cup total)
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced diagonally
- 4 Tbsp chopped or slivered almonds, toasted
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, hand tear or roughly chop the mint leaves
Instructions
- In a medium pot over medium heat, slowly bring the chicken and 3 cups water to a simmer. Once the water begins to simmer, reduce the heat to low and cook until the juices run clear when thickest part of chicken is pierced with the tip of a knife, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, let cool slightly, then cut the chicken crosswise into thin slices.
- Meanwhile, make the dressing: in a medium bowl, whisk together the almond butter, 3 tablespoons of the avocado oil, the chili garlic sauce, 2 tablespoons of the rice vinegar, and the soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, and 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 3 tablespoons water. (For a thinner dressing, whisk in another tablespoon of water.) Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the cucumber and lettuce. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons avocado oil and 1 teaspoon rice vinegar and a few pinches of salt and pepper. Gently toss to combine, then distribute the salad between 4 plates or bowls.
- In the same large bowl, add the sliced chicken and dressing, toss to combine, then divide it among the plates of salad. Top each with one quarter of the red pepper, scallions, and almonds. Garnish with the cilantro leaves and mint and serve.
Amazing and really pretty easy. Don’t let all the ingredients intimidate you. This was a big hit with my husband. I swapped out the iceberg lettuce for finely shaved Napa cabbage and didn’t even bother with the red pepper. I didn’t notice it was missing because there are so many flavors going on in this dish. I also used the little Persian cucumbers you find at Trader Joe’s which are perfect sliced thinly on a mandolin (you could even use a vegetable peeler to make the cucumber noodles). This will become a regular meal at our home!
really cool recipes!!!
This Indonesian Chicken Salad was truly fabulous. The flavors marry so well and it is always nice to have a unique salad. Thank you for this.
Delicious! The dressing/sauce is so flavorful!! I improvised a little because I didn’t have all the ingredients. Instead of iceberg lettuce, I used shiratake noodles and I cut my cucumber in half lengthwise and seeded it (because there were too many seeds) and then sliced it thinly on a mandoline and laid it on top of the noodles. I didn’t have any scallions or cilantro but honestly, I didn’t really miss them. The mint was a nice touch.