Thai Chicken Salad

I grew up in the kitchen. At first it was because I wanted to pick on my mom's famous chocolate chip cookie batter when she wasn't looking. But I ended up absolutely loving it. Half way through college I even considered stopping with an associates in business and going to culinary school. Although I didn't follow through with that idea, I held onto my love for cooking.

But let's face it. It doesn't matter how fun it can be to cook, coming up with a plan for dinner every night really isn't much fun. When I still lived at home with my family it was one thing ~ that was ultimately my mom's call to set the menu. But now that it's my job... *sigh* I'm getting better at it though! I can't be a gourmet cook every night on a budget, but I've come up with a few really great recipes that have my husband begging for repeats! I thought I'd share his favorite!

I found this recipe in a little Betty Crocker salad cook book. It's original name is Thai Chicken Salad Cones. But I don't do tortillas. I really don't do carbs at all, so it was an easy switch to make it a simple salad! And the peanut butter adds enough fat to fill you up, so there's no sadness involved!

Ingredients

Salad:

2 cans (10 ounces+ each) chunk light chicken, drained

1 1/2 cups coleslaw mix (from 16-ounce bag)

1/2 cup chopped seeded cucumber

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 coarsely chopped dry-roasted peanuts

Thai Peanut Butter Dressing

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

2 tablespoons rice vinegar or cider vinegar

1 tablespoon fish sauce*

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)

{Mix all ingredients in small bowl with wire whisk until smooth}

1. Make Thai Peanut Butter Dressing

2. Place chicken, coleslaw mix, cucumber, cilantro, and peanuts in medium bowl. Add dressing; toss to coat. 

4 Servings

*Soy sauce can be substituted for the fish sauce. Considering the high sodium content, I use Bragg Liquid Aminos and it works perfectly! {You can find Bragg Liquid Aminos at your local health food store for $4-10.}

Also, the dressing makes the salad, so my word of advice is to either be generous with the proportions, or double the recipe.

I hope you enjoy! If you give it a try, I want to hear if you like it! 

Bon Appétit!