This Asian Chicken Salad with Chili Lime and Peanut Dressings is the ultimate salad. The combination of dressings along with the crunchy salad creates the most delicious summer dinner.
I have been wanting to make an Asian Chicken Salad for quite some time now and I keep seeing them pop up everywhere around the blogosphere. My absolute favorite version is from Granite City and it was my mission to recreate it and share it with you all.
Please don’t be intimidated by the ingredient list…a lot of the ingredients are the same throughout the different elements and the dressings and marinade can be mixed up ahead of time.
Although this wasn’t exactly like the restaurant version, it was still quite a light and delicious dinner on a hot night. I have to say the dressings are what made it for me. That sweet chili lime vinaigrette is sweet, a little spicy and has just the right amount of sesame. I could probably eat it with a spoon.
The light drizzle of the peanut dressing gives a nutty depth that puts the salad over the edge for me. And I just can’t eat a salad without some kind of crunch on top so the wonton strips were a perfect addition.
Joel wasn’t a huge fan so it probably won’t be hitting the dinner table too often but it will be on frequent rotations for my weekday lunches.
Asian Chicken Salad
Ingredients
For the Pineapple Chicken Marinade:
- 1 large lime, zested and juiced
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
For the Salad:
- 1/2 head green cabbage, shredded
- 1/2 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
- 1 english cucumber, thinly sliced into half moons
- 2 carrots, shredded
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped into small pieces
- 1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced
- wonton strips
For the Chili Lime Dressing:
- 1/2 cup sweet chili garlic sauce
- 4 Tbsp. honey
- 4 Tbsp. sesame oil
- 3 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
- 4 Tbsp. lime juice
For the Peanut Dressing:
- 3 Tbsp. water
- 2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. green onion, thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp. peanut butter
- 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 tsp. fresh grated ginger
- 1 tsp. sriracha
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
- 2 tsp. dry roasted peanuts
Instructions
- For the chicken: Combine all marinade ingredients together in a ziplock bag and mix around to combine. Pound chicken to 1/2 inch thickness and marinate for 1-4 hours.
- While the chicken is marinating, mix up the dressings. For the chili lime vinaigrette: combine all ingredients in a mason jar, seal tightly and shake until well combined. Refrigerate. For the peanut dressing: Combine first 8 ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Add in peanut and blend for 10 seconds more. Place in bowl or jar and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Preheat grill to medium heat and cook chicken until juices run clear. Meanwhile, put the salad together. In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, lettuce, cucumber, carrot, red pepper, cilantro and green onion. Mix to combine ingredients. Once chicken has been grilled, slice into bite size chunks and place on top of salad. Scatter with wonton strips and drizzle with a good amount of chili lime vinaigrette and a bit of the peanut dressing.
November 7, 2013 at 3:47 pm
how much chicken and how many does this serve?
November 8, 2013 at 12:46 pm
Sorry, I updated the recipe. I used 2 chicken breasts and it served 3 people with a bit of leftovers.
May 27, 2015 at 5:02 am
[…] as possible. That means lots of grilling and salads. We like to mix it up and create all kinds of unique salads so that we don’t get bored. This salad is a little fancy and a lot delicious. Raspberries […]
August 5, 2018 at 12:19 pm
Can you please share the recipe again. It is not showing up anymore. Thanks!
August 5, 2018 at 2:10 pm
Hey Susan! I had some weird glitches going on so thanks so much for pointing this one out to me. It’s all good to go now.
June 16, 2020 at 7:35 pm
This was really good and have made it before. Tastes similar to Granite City’s Asian chicken salad. I did use some shortcuts though,I used a bag of coleslaw mix and pulsed with my food processor,doubled the peanut and chili lime dressing and used rotisserie chicken instead of marinating and cooking my own chicken. Very good recipe!! Thanks!
October 1, 2020 at 7:44 am
Love this recipe. I have made it several times. I don’t find any reason to substitute or change a thing because it’s perfect the way it is. That being said, it does take some time to make it right so it’s a splurge when I do. Everyone compliments the chef when I bring it.
December 30, 2020 at 8:25 pm
Made this tonight and it was sooooo good! I was immediately reminded of the Granite City salad I love so much (sadly the location near me is closed). Next time I’m going to purchase some of the veggies pre-prepared (it was a lot of chopping). So excited to have found this!