Thai Chicken Salad Sandwich with Creamy Peanut Sauce
Finely chopped chicken, crunchy cabbage, crisp veggies, and fresh herbs get tossed in a creamy Thai-inspired peanut dressing… then piled onto whole-grain bread for a crave-worthy sandwich!
Ingredients
Chopped Chicken Salad
- 2 cups shredded cabbage, green, purple, or a mix; or coleslaw blend
- ½ cup shredded or matchstick carrots
- ½ red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 to 2 scallions, chopped
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro, optional
- ¼ cup chopped peanuts, or cashews
- 1 cooked chicken breast, finely chopped (about 1 to 1 ¼ cups)
- ½ cup shelled edamame, thawed (optional)
Peanut Sauce (makes about 1 cup)
- ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce, or tamari
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons honey, or maple syrup
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons water, add more, a teaspoon at a time, if needed
- Sriracha, optional—but a must for spice lovers!
- Salt to taste, start with a pinch and add more if needed
For Serving
- 8 slices whole-grain bread
Instructions
- Build the chopped base. Add the cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, scallions, cilantro, nuts, chopped chicken, and optional edamame to a large cutting board. Chop, chop, chop until everything is finely chopped and well combined—think classic chicken-salad texture.
- Make the peanut sauce. In a small bowl, stir together the peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, ginger, and garlic powder until smooth. Add the water to create a creamy, spoonable sauce. Stir in Sriracha and salt to taste.
- Dress it. Pour ¾ of the dressing over the chopped salad and toss until everything is evenly coated, cohesive, and scoopable. Add more dressing until you reach the perfect consistency.
- Chill (optional). Let the mixture rest in the fridge for 10–15 minutes so the flavors can meld and lightly chill.
- Assemble the sandwiches. Spoon about ½ to ¾ cup filling per sandwich onto bread. Press gently, slice, and enjoy.
Notes
• Portion guide: This recipe makes enough filling for 4 generous sandwiches. Enjoy them open-faced or closed.
• Heat lovers: A squirt (or two!) of Sriracha really brings this to life (in my spicy opinion, LOL)
• Make it gluten-free: Use gluten-free bread and tamari.
• Make it dairy-free: This is naturally dairy-free as written.
• Make it vegan: Skip the chicken and bulk it up with about 2 cups edamame or chopped baked tofu. Use maple syrup instead of honey.
• Nut-free option: Swap peanut butter for sunflower seed butter and use pumpkin or sunflower seeds instead of nuts.
• Other ways to serve: Fantastic in lettuce cups, wraps, scooped with crackers or baked chips, or piled over chopped greens for a hearty salad bowl.
Nutrition Information per serving
Serving Size: 0.75 cup Chopped Chicken Salad and two slices whole-grain breadCalories: 430Carbohydrates: 45gProtein: 24gTotal Fat: 20g— Saturated Fat: 3g— Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g— Monounsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 645mgPotassium: 645mgFiber: 9gTotal Sugar: 15g— Added Sugar: 8gVitamin C: 40mgCalcium: 82mgIron: 3mg
Nutrition information is calculated using a leading industry software. That being said, brands can vary, and there may be slight fluctuations in the numbers.