This Thai-Inspired Chicken Salad with Ginger Dressing is one of the new recipes in the revised edition of our bestselling cookbook, The Whole30 Fast & Easy. Featuring hearty and delicious skillet meals, sheet-pan suppers, slow-cooker dinners, and cozy noodle bowls, The Whole30 Fast & Easy Cookbook, Revised Edition features dishes anyone can make. You’ll also find 35 all-new recipes in this updated version, all of which have simple ingredients, fast prep, easy clean-up, and time-saving tips.
This fresh, vibrant salad takes cues from Thai flavor profiles, balancing salty, sour, sweet, and spicy in every bite. While not a traditional Thai dish, it borrows familiar elements like aromatic herbs, zesty citrus, a creamy nut-based dressing, and a touch of chile heat. It’s bold, bright, and packed with fresh veggies, mango, and herbs. As usual, all of the recipes in The Whole30 Fast & Easy are gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, soy-free, peanut-free, and free from added sugar.
Tips
- Ground chicken comes in varying percentages of fat, depending on whether it’s made from chicken breast, thigh, or a combination. You want some fat to keep the meat juicy and flavorful. Look for ground chicken that is no more than 93% lean.
- Sambal is an Asian chili paste or spicy sauce commonly found in Southeast Asian food. Sambal oelek consists of raw red chiles, salt, and vinegar. In place of the sambal oelek, you can use 1/2 cup gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) plus 3 tablespoons apple cider or rice vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring until you have a thick paste.
- Use 2 tablespoons of your homemade Sambal oelek for this recipe, and save the rest in an airtight storage container in the fridge; it will last up to 3 weeks. In a pinch, you could also substitute 2 tablespoons of a Whole30-compatible sriracha in place of the sambal oelek.
- Watch this video for tips on how to cube a mango. In place of mango, you can also use 2 cups of cubed pineapple. (Fresh is best, but you can use canned in a pinch.)
Photo credit: Ghazalle Badiozamani
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken see Tips
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
For the dressing
- 1/2 cup cashew butter
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons Whole30-compatible sambal oelek see Tips
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger peeled and minced
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 date pitted (optional)
For the salad
- 1 package (12 oz) shredded cabbage
- 1 cup carrots shredded
- 2 ripe mangoes cubed (see Tips)
- 4 green onions sliced on a bias
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh basil chopped
- Toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- COOK the ground chicken, garlic, and salt over medium heat in a large skillet, stirring to break up the meat, until no longer pink (165°F), 8 to 10 minutes.
- STIR in the lime zest.
Make the Dressing
- COMBINE all of the dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor while the chicken is cooking.
- BLEND or process until smooth. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to reach the desired consistency.
Make the Salad
- COMBINE the cabbage, carrots, mangoes, green onions, cilantro, parsley, and basil, in a large bowl.
- TOSS to combine.
- SPOON the chicken over the salad.
- DRIZZLE with the dressing, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and serve.
