Goin’ on a picnic? Pic-dis Healthy Chicken Salad 🙂

It’s officially picnic weather!! And in the spirit of social distancing, why not pack up a healthy lunch and eat it by a lake, in a park, or by the ocean?

This Healthy Thai Chicken Salad is super easy to make, is packed with protein and veggies, and is great for make-ahead lunches.

Eat it over leafy greens as a salad or smother it over a piece of sprouted grain toast. I bet it’s be tasty with flaxseed crackers, too!

Can’t get enough Thai peanut goodness? Try this Protein-Packed Thai Peanut Pasta Salad (it’s vegan!)

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to show a healthy version of a chicken salad sandwich

Healthy Thai Chicken Salad

Serves: 6-8
Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Salad:

1 lb chicken breast
1 cup shredded green cabbage
1 cup shredded carrot
1 cup shredded purple cabbage
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup peanuts, chopped
Optional: green scallions

Peanut Sauce:

3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used 2% fat)
1/3 cup natural peanut butter, creamy
3 tbsp coconut aminos (can swap for soy sauce)
1 tbsp natural honey
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 lemon, squeeze
salt to taste
*water, per desired consistency

Instructions

  1. Cook and shred chicken. I like to throw my chicken breasts in a slow cooker with some chicken stock and garlic salt. It shreds easily and retains moisture. If you don’t have time to slow cook, you can bake chicken breasts at 350′ F for 25-30 minutes and shred with a fork.
  2. Set chicken aside in fridge to chill.
  3. Meanwhile, combine and stir ingredients for peanut sauce. If the sauce is too thick to your liking, you can add water 1-2 tbsp at a time.
  4. Combine salad ingredients. Stir in sauce until well combined.
  5. Best served chilled over a bed of greens and/or sprouted grain bread or flaxseed crackers.

This is a great meal prep recipe. You can easily make it vegan by swapping the chicken for 1 can of rinsed and drained chickpeas & using plain coconut yogurt for the sauce. If you don’t eat honey, agave works well.

Lazy Chef Hack: Save time with the Trader Joe’s Shredded Green & Purple Cabbage with Orange Carrots mix.

If you make this recipe, share and tag us on Instagram @nutrition.awareness!

Kait Richardson is a registered dietitian nutritionist in Orlando, FL. She is a partner at a private practice, Nutrition Awareness, where she helps frustrated yo-yo dieters reach their health goals using 1:1 nutrition coaching. She is the co-host of the Nutrition Awareness Podcast.