Thai Grilled Chicken Salad

I like plating the chicken at the bottom of the plate so you have do dig your way to through the salad.

Thai Grilled Chicken Salad

I know, I know, salads in January? Groundbreaking. But in the bleak midwinter, we all deserve a fresh, spicy salad that tantalizes the tastebuds. Fret not, this salad may seem like it has a lot of ingredients but there are a lot that overlap for each component. Shout out to Katherine Wants for inspiring to make a delicious chicken salad with Asian flavors. I loved how they used fried wontons to top the salad to give it a nice crunch.

This is salad recipe also has influences from another infamous salad from Hillstone - Thai Steak Salad. It consists of two components - a spicy, peanut-based slaw spiked with fish sauce and a Thai style grilled chicken. You can easily substitute the chicken for any protein but you cannot skip on this marinade. It’s reminiscent of the grilled chicken in Thailand called gai yang. The secret ingredient for which is lots of coriander and cilantro.

Like all salads I prep at home, I start by getting all of my ingredients ready so that I can quickly plate and serve. If you’re planning to grill the chicken outside, you’ll want to make sure you clean your grill really well. The marinade contains a bit of sugar which has a propensity to burn on hot surfaces. Bonus points: this recipe can be left in the fridge for a day or so because the base is primarily cabbage which holds it’s crispiness better than regular green salads.

Ingredients for the Thai Grilled Chicken Marinade

• 2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds

• 2 garlic cloves

• 12 springs of cilantro

• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

• 2 tablespoons palm sugar

• Juice of one lime

• 2 tablespoons fish sauce

• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

• 4 chicken breasts, sliced into two cutlets each

Ingredients for the Thai Grilled Chicken Salad Dressing

• 4 Thai bird chilies, thinly sliced (optional)

• 1/3 cup smooth peanut butter

• 1 tablespoon honey

• Juice of one lime

• 2 tablespoons fish sauce

• 2 tablespoons mirin

• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

Ingredients for the Thai Grilled Chicken Salad

• Vegetable oil, for frying wonton wrappers

• 12 sheets of wonton wrappers, thinly sliced

• 1/2 head of green cabbage, thinly sliced

• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

• 1 red bell pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced

• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped into quarters

• 12 cherry tomatoes, halved

Special Equipment

• Mortar & pestle

Serves 4

Directions for the Thai Grilled Chicken Marinade

1. Prepare the marinade by grinding the coriander seeds, garlic, and cilantro in the mortar & pestle until you get a rough paste. Then, add in the palm sugar and continue to grind before adding in the lime juice, fish sauce, and dark soy sauce.

2. Toss the four chicken cutlets into the marinade. Cover and allow to sit for a couple of hours if not overnight in a non-reactive container.

Directions for the Thai Grilled Chicken Salad Dressing

1. Prepare the dressing by combining all of the ingredients into a plastic deli container. You may need to mash up the peanut butter a bit with a fork so have that on standby. Cover with the lid and shake vigorously. Adjust seasonings as necessary but this should not require additional salt because of the fish sauce.

Directions for the Thai Grilled Chicken Salad

1. To make the crispy wonton topping, bring a small pot of vegetable oil to 350 degrees. In small batches, deep fry your thinly sliced wonton crisps for 20-30 seconds. Transfer to a paper towel lined tray to drain and cool. Season with a touch of kosher salt.

2. Next, heat a grill or a large cast iron pan up to medium high heat. Remove the marinated chicken cutlets from the container and brush some of the marinade off the cutlets. Add a touch of vegetable oil, if you’re using a cast iron pan, before grilling each cutlet for two-three minutes on each side. Remove and set aside to cool.

3. Place all of the ingredients for the salad, except for the wontons, into a large bowl. Using a spoon, ladle some of the dressing onto the salad, before tossing with tongs. I like seasoning my salad progressively so I don’t overdress.

4. To plate, place two of the chicken cutlets onto a plate. Place a large heap of the dressed salad on top. Finally, add a handful of your crispy wontons on top of the salad so they do not get soggy. Serve immediately and enjoy!