Thai-Inspired Chicken Quinoa Salad with Peanut Dressing
Incredible Thai-inspired Chicken Quinoa Salad paired with a sweet & savory peanut dressing! This flavorful salad is packed with fresh mango, carrots, red bell pepper, green onions, crunchy cashews, and curry marinated chicken for a delicious meal prep lunch.
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We’re finally to the very last recipe of the #AKSaladChallenge… and it’s my most favorite recipe of all them all.
Before we get into the salad, I hope that you’ve enjoyed these easy, protein-packed meal prep friendly salads full of veggies, fiber and protein. They’re great to keep and come back to again and again.
This Thai-Inspired Chicken Quinoa Salad is packed with quinoa, chicken, fruit and veggies to ensure that you hit almost every food group. It’s sweet, savory and comes with an addicting peanut dressing.
THINGS TO NOTE:
+If you’re vegetarian, no worries! Simply swap chicken for 1 can of chickpeas or add tofu.
+I’ve also included instructions on how to bake your chicken instead of grill it in the notes section below.
I hope you love this simple, easy thai chicken quinoa salad. Layer the salad up in large mason jars or throw it in meal prep containers for an on the go lunch or dinner. ENJOY! xo.
**Please note, we’re aware of a current recall of romaine lettuce in the U.S. Please feel free to use spinach in place of romaine in this recipe, and read more about the recall here.
Want more salads like this one? Try these:
Balsamic Chicken Berry Quinoa Salad
Southwest Chicken Salad with Chipotle Greek Yogurt Dressing
Thai-Inspired Chicken Quinoa Salad with Peanut Dressing
Incredible Thai-Inspired Chicken Quinoa Salad paired with a sweet & savory peanut dressing! This flavorful salad is packed with fresh mango, carrots, red bell pepper, green onions, crunchy cashews, and curry marinated chicken for a delicious meal prep lunch.
Ingredients
- For the marinade:
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon yellow curry powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- For the dressing:
- ¼ cup natural creamy peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (or 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger)
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 2-4 tablespoons warm water, to thin dressing
- For the salad:
- 1/3 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper
- ¼ cup diced green onion
- 2 medium carrots, shredded
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ¾ cup diced mango
- 2 cups romaine lettuce
- ¼ cup roasted cashews or honey roasted peanuts
Instructions
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Add chicken and marinade ingredients to a large ziploc bag. Marinate chicken for 20 minutes to 1 hour.
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While you are marinating your chicken, make your quinoa: Add 3/4 cup water to a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Then, stir in quinoa. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for exactly 15 minutes. Remove the saucepan from heat and let stand covered for another 5-10 minutes. Fluff the quinoa with a fork. Quinoa will pop upon cooking and expand. To help separate the grains, use a fork and fluff the quinoa. Set aside.
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While the quinoa is cooking, chop all your ingredients for your salad.
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Next, make your Thai peanut dressing. Add all ingredients for the dressing to a small bowl and mix until well-combined. Set aside.
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Once ready to cook chicken, preheat grill to medium high heat. Lightly oil the grate. Grill chicken breasts for 6-8 minutes per side, or until juices run clear and chicken is no longer pink. Once chicken has cooked, transfer to a cutting board and dice into bite sized pieces.
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Make the mason jar salads by dividing ingredients evenly between 4 (32-ounce) large mason jars in the following order: dressing, bell pepper, green onion, shredded carrots, cooked quinoa, cilantro, mango, chicken breast, romaine, cashews.
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When ready to serve, pour contents from the mason jar onto a plate or into a bowl and enjoy! Makes 4 large mason jars.
Recipe Notes
To make vegetarian: sub 1 cup chickpeas or 1 package of extra firm tofu, cubed
To bake the chicken instead of grill: Bake chicken breasts on a greased baking sheet at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.
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32 comments
Thanks so much for all of these salad recipes. They’ve all been delicious and I can’t wait to make this one. Loved this series!
I’m so happy to hear that Kim! Plenty more salads to come all summer 🙂
That looks very tasty.
It’s delicious! 🙂
YUM! I like the addition of mangoes!
Lil’ sweet to go with the savory!
So excited about that peanut dressing!! 🙂
First time EVER that my husband didn’t complain about quinoa!! Not to mention, entrée salads are not necessarily his thing – and he rave about this dinner more than once! It’s so pretty too!! Great recipe! Loving the salad dressings AND the marinade for the chicken in these recipes – I really think it adds so much!!
Amazing!! So happy to hear that 🙂 And yes the marinades are a game-changer for flavor!
I love being able to throw a salad in a large mason jar or prep ahead for the days ahead. And PEANUT SAUCE is everything to help me eat my vegetables!
YES it’s the best!!
Cashews, quinoa, and peanut sauce are the BEST additions in a salad. I would love to make this recipe with grilled tofu or tempeh. Looks like the perfect spring or summer lunch!
This would be delicious with grilled tofu or tempeh!
Just made it and I’m so glad I didn’t omit the mango. It is a delicious salad. I didn’t feel like cooking and marinating chicken, so I opened a bag of precooked shrimp. I put the shrimp in a ziplock bag and then put in the marinade ingredients. Thanks for the recipe.
That sounds delicious! So happy you enjoyed!
this salad is AMAZING!! It is filling and very satisfying.
I’m glad you liked it!! Agree – perfect lunch 🙂
What size do you mean (large mason jar) please say in cups of ounces…and do you pack them full to the top or ok to leave some air?
I usually use a 32oz mason jar – check the full instructions for those details 🙂 I also pack them pretty full (like in the photos) but it’s okay to leave a bit of air!
Thanks for the recipe! What curry powder do you use? It says yellow curry powder. Can I know the brand.
You bet! I typically use McCormick curry powder.
Thank you! Will try this soon.
I just discovered this while looking for a fresh salad and holy cow is it amazing! I might make this everyday forever! I do not have peanut butter, so i used almond butter and it’s seriously delicious! Thank you for creating!
Perfect! So happy you found this one!
This salad is so good, especially the dressing. I will definitely be making this again!
Glad you enjoyed!
My husband and I can’t say enough about how incredible this was! Loved the recommendation of tofu so I used that and we thought it fit perfect! So many wonderful elements to this salad, you can’t not like it! Will be on the top of our favorites list!
Amazing! So happy to hear that!
All the family adore this receipe. I make in a bowl as do not have jars .
Super easy super quick.
So happy to hear that!
This one missed the mark for me. It had some Thai elements, sure. We loved the veg, mango, chicken marinade, and dressing. The quinoa was fine. But, the romaine didn’t fit. Lot’s of great elements. I’d recommend calling it “Thai-inspired.”
Sorry you didn’t love it! And yes, thanks for the note about the name–we’ll do that!