This is me doing a salad faceplant.
I know—salad and faceplant aren’t words you usually associate with this blog. Still, here we are.
Recently Max has become obsessed with peanut butter toast. I’ve always offered it as a snack or part of a meal, but lately he asks for it multiple times every day. That means we’re burning through jars of peanut butter, and I often make myself a peanut butter and banana slice while I’m at it, sprinkled with hemp hearts. It’s been my favorite post-workout snack since high school—so simple and satisfying.
All that talk of peanut butter sparked my craving for a savory peanut flavor. I love Thai-inspired dishes where chopped peanuts top salads and noodles, and recently I started making a peanut dressing to keep in the fridge for quick weekday lunches.
I’ve made Thai-style dressings that include a touch of peanut butter before, but this one is different: it’s built around peanut butter. The peanut flavor is front and center.
I kept the salad straightforward: definitely chicken, because chicken and peanut sauce are a classic pairing I love. I broiled boneless, skinless chicken thighs and brushed them with a mixture of honey, peanut butter and apple cider vinegar until they caramelized slightly.
That method makes chicken absolutely delicious.
There’s lots of avocado because I can’t imagine a salad without it. The base is a mix of chopped napa cabbage and slaw mix—something I usually keep on hand since we use it so often for tacos. I added thinly sliced cucumber for crunch, fresh lime juice, and chopped peanuts for texture. Texture is everything.
The slaw mix contains shredded carrots, which is my preferred way to eat carrots in a salad. If you prefer carrot sticks or larger pieces, by all means use them. Though this isn’t technically a chopped salad, I usually chop everything as I eat so every forkful has a bit of everything—my favorite way to enjoy a salad. Let’s make “to salad” a verb.
Also—look how green this is. Perfect for that nervous, almost-beach-season moment in spring.
One last finishing touch I love: crushed pita chips. Sprinkle them on top for extra crunch or use them to scoop the salad like nachos—salad nachos, anyone?
Chicken Avocado Salad with Peanut Dressing
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Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons peanut butter
- 3 cups chopped napa cabbage
- 2 cups slaw mix a mix of chopped cabbage and shredded carrots
- 1 avocado thinly sliced
- 1/2 seedless cucumber thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup peanuts chopped
Peanut Dressing
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
Instructions
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Heat the broiler to high and position a rack about 6 inches below the element. Line a baking sheet with foil.
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Season the chicken on both sides with salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Place on the baking sheet and broil 7 minutes, flip and broil 7 minutes more. While it broils, whisk honey, apple cider vinegar and peanut butter together. Brush the mixture on the chicken and broil 2 minutes. Flip, brush again and broil another 2 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly, then slice.
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Combine the napa cabbage and slaw mix in a large bowl and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Top with the sliced chicken, avocado, cucumber and chopped peanuts. Drizzle with the peanut dressing, toss and serve.
Peanut Dressing
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Whisk the peanut dressing ingredients together until smooth. Store in a sealed container in the fridge for a few days.
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I already feel better about my Cadbury egg mishap this weekend.