Chopped Thai Chicken Salad — a refreshing asian salad with low carb fixings like shredded cabbage, carrots, chicken, peppers, and crunchy peanuts. A smooth, creamy dressing with peanut butter and sesame oil adds rich flavor and a bit of spiciness. Keto and gluten-free.
A Low Carb, Make Ahead Salad
I love adding peanut butter and chopped roasted peanuts to thai salads, but their carbs add up fast. Together, they represent about half of the net carbs in the entire salad. To keep the salad as keto friendly as possible, the remaining salad ingredients are judiciously chosen to minimize carbs, like cabbage, scallions, and chicken.
Wet vegetables like cucumbers are avoided, since they exude a lot of liquid after chopping. This means the salad can be made ahead of time without getting waterlogged.
peanut dressing 
salad fixings
Shredded Chicken Tips
Wondering how to get shredded chicken? My local supermarket sells packaged pre-shredded chicken by the brand Del Real. You can also get shredded meat from rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken from previous meals.
Or you can buy raw chicken, cook it any way you prefer — pan sear, slow cook, pressure cook, grill, or bake — and shred it.
Watch out for any cooked-out juices from the meat, which will make your chicken salad taste thin and watery. Drain out this liquid, or squeeze the shredded chicken dry, before making the salad.
Thai Chicken Salad
A refreshing asian salad with low carb fixings like shredded cabbage, carrots, chicken, peppers, and crunchy peanuts. A smooth, creamy dressing with peanut butter and sesame oil adds rich flavor and a bit of spiciness. Keto and gluten free.
Ingredients
Salad Fixings:
- 5 cups shredded cabbage and carrots mix (I use an 8 oz wt. bag of pre-shredded coleslaw mix)
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken (1 lb)
- 5 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, cored, very thinly sliced lengthwise then cut in half widthwise
- 1 jalapeño, very thinly sliced widthwise or diced (to reduce spiciness: omit completely, remove seeds, or use half as much. to make spicier: double the amount or replace with serranos)
- 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped (2 oz wt.)
Peanut Dressing:
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (if natural, thoroughly stir before using)
- 1/4 cup dark or toasted sesame oil (I use the brand Kadoya; avoid light-colored sesame oil which is neutral tasting and lacks flavor)
-
1/4
cup
rice vinegar - 1/4 cup water
-
1
tbsp
sriracha - 1 tsp table salt
Instructions
-
Add all salad fixings to a large bowl, big enough for tossing them. Set aside.
-
In a medium microwave-safe bowl (I use a 4-cup measuring glass), add all peanut dressing ingredients except for the sesame oil. Microwave until the peanut butter is just softened, about 15 seconds. Add sesame oil, then whisk for a minute until very smooth and fully combined.
-
Pour the peanut dressing over the salad fixings, tossing the salad until well-mixed. Serve.
-
Making Ahead: Follow above instructions. Cover and store in the refrigerator up to a day in advance. Before serving, toss the salad to re-incorporate any separated dressing.
Nutrition Info
| Makes 5 Servings |
| Amount Per Serving: |
| Calories 460 | |
| Total Fat 30g | 46% |
| Saturated Fat 4g | 21% |
| Cholesterol 53mg | 18% |
| Sodium 620mg | 26% |
| Net Carb 8.5g | |
| Total Carb 14.5g | 5% |
| Dietary Fiber 6g | 25% |
| Sugars 6g | |
| Protein 30g |
