Low-Carb Thai Chicken Salad
This Low-Carb Thai Chicken Salad is a delicious paleo and keto-friendly main dish that is full of flavor and nutrients and is made without peanuts or peanut butter. If you are looking for a power-packed salad that is dairy-free and easy to make, you will love this one!
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
Chicken:
- ⅓ cup 80mL canned coconut milk
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp roughly chopped cilantro
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 2 tsp 10mL coconut aminos
- 1 ½ tsp ~2.5g finely chopped fresh red chile pepper
- 1 tsp ~2g finely chopped fresh lemongrass
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tbsp 30mL olive oil
- 1 lb chicken breasts about 3-4 medium-sized chicken breasts
Dressing:
- 15 g lime juice juice yielding from one good squeeze
- 2 tbsp 30mL olive oil
- 1 tsp 5mL coconut aminos
- ½ tsp 2g classic monk fruit sweetener (optional)
- ¼ tsp ~1.5g fish sauce
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp pepper
Salad:
- 1 finely chopped green onion ~22g
- 180 g cucumber
- 100 g arugula
Optional Garnishes:
- 1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
- ½ red chile pepper sliced (~0.2g)
Instructions
- Chicken Preparation: In a mixing bowl, mix together coconut milk, garlic, cilantro, ginger, coconut aminos, chile pepper, lemongrass, and turmeric until well-combined.
- Using a sharp knife, cut chicken breasts into strips about ½-inch thick to form mini-fillets. Transfer cut chicken to bowl of marinade and toss until chicken is fully coated in sauce. Cover bowl with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate to marinate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.
- Remove marinated chicken from refrigerator. In a large pan or griddle over medium heat, heat olive oil. Using tongs, place chicken in an even layer in pan. Cook chicken until internal temperature of 165 degrees is reached, about 3-4 minutes per side. Alternatively, cook chicken in preheated oven at 375 degrees until cooked throughout, about 20-30 minutes. Set aside.
- Dressing: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients. Set aside.
- Salad: Using a julienne peeler or spiralizer, carefully cut cucumbers into cucumber noodles. (If using a julienne peeler, discard the center of the cucumbers.)
- Final Steps: In a large mixing bowl, using spoons or tongs, toss together arugula, cucumber noodles, green onions, and dressing until thoroughly incorporated. Serve dressed greens mixture in individual bowls and top with chicken, chopped cilantro, and finely sliced fresh chile pepper.
Notes
Canned Coconut Milk Substitution: Substitute in heavy cream at a 1:1 ratio. Note that this will change the final nutrition information of the recipe and the recipe will no longer be dairy-free, paleo, or Whole30-compliant.
Fresh Ginger Substitution: You can use ground ginger here, but it will likely change the flavor of the resulting dish just slightly. Use 1/4 tsp ground ginger in place of the fresh ginger the recipe calls for.
Coconut Aminos Substitution: Gluten-free soy sauce will work here. Sub in soy sauce for coconut aminos at a 1:1 ratio. Note that this will make the recipe no longer be paleo or Whole30-compliant. Other options for substituting coconut aminos would be salted beef broth or fish sauce.
Fresh Red Chile Peppers Substitution: These can be found in the produce section of your grocery store. If, however, you cannot find these peppers, fresh jalapeños or fresh serrano peppers will work.
Fresh Lemongrass Substitution: Lemon zest will work here, but it will change the flavor of the dish slightly.
Chicken Breast Substitution: Chicken thighs would work really well here; if you go this route, you can either purchase boneless and skinless thighs, or, if you buy bone-in and skin-on, just note that you'll need to remove the bones and skin prior to cooking.
Monk Fruit Sweetener Substitution: You can sub in erythritol or Swerve subbed in at a 1:1 ratio. Powdered stevia or liquid stevia should also work, but I cannot advise on what the exact substitution ratio should be as every brand of stevia is very different. If you want to use stevia, you will need to look up a conversion chart for that brand’s product.
Where Monk Fruit Sweetener Can Be Purchased: Monk fruit sweetener is often available for purchase in-store at most grocery stores, especially specialty grocery and health food stores, as well as Costco. I personally purchase mine online from Lakanto’s website and have it directly shipped to me. If you want to order your monk fruit sweetener online, you can use discount code REALBALANCED for 20% OFF your order.
Fish Sauce Substitution: Gluten-free soy sauce can be used. Using soy sauce will lead to this dish no longer being paleo-friendly or Whole30-compliant.