Thai Salad with Grilled Chicken and Rice Noodles Recipe
This salad combines the best of Thai cuisine: fresh herbs, crunchy vegetables, rice noodles, and juicy chicken. In Thailand, similar dishes are often sold at street stalls as a quick, light lunch. It’s a great alternative to classic chicken salad – more colorful and full of flavor.
This is a loose take on Thai yum-style salads, where thin noodles or meat are mixed with lots of herbs, lime, and crunchy toppings. Unlike classic som tam, it’s milder and more of a complete main course.
This salad brings together several contrasts in one bite: springy noodles, juicy chicken, raw crunchy vegetables, and peanuts. The dressing is balanced so that it stays bold even after chilling, which makes this dish perfect for a lunchbox or a picnic.
Why this version works
- A quick marinade of soy sauce and garlic gives the chicken plenty of flavor without long chilling.
- You season the noodles and vegetables first, so the dressing coats every strand instead of pooling at the bottom.
- Rinsing the noodles in cold water stops them from softening further and keeps them from falling apart.
- Adding fresh herbs at the very end preserves their aroma and their bright green color.
Chef's tips
The most common problem is a watery salad – drain the noodles really well and don’t add vegetables straight from washing if they’re still wet. I let the chicken rest for a few minutes after frying; if you slice it right away, the juices will run onto the board instead of into the bowl. I always taste the dressing on a strand of noodle, not from a spoon – it’s much easier to judge whether the flavor will be punchy enough.
How to serve
Serve in a wide, shallow bowl so you can see the layers of noodles, vegetables, and herbs, and everyone can grab extra peanuts. It works well as a light lunchbox meal or as a dish for a summer get‑together, alongside a bowl of fresh fruit and lime wedges for extra seasoning.
Watch out for
- Don’t soak the noodles for too long – after 5 minutes, taste a strand; it should still have a slight bite.
- Don’t fry the chicken over too low a heat, or it will release its juices and steam instead of browning.
- Don’t add all the dressing at once if you prefer milder flavors – it’s easier to add more than to dilute it.
- If the noodles clump together after draining, loosen them with your fingers before mixing with the dressing.
Substitutions
- You can swap the chicken for grilled turkey or leftover roast chicken.
- Coriander can be replaced with flat-leaf parsley for people who don’t like its flavor.
- Peanuts can be swapped for toasted cashews or sesame seeds.
- Thin rice noodles can be replaced with wider rice noodles; just shorten the soaking time.
Ingredients
- chicken breast - 400 g
- rice noodles ryżowy cienki (nitki) - 200 g
- carrot - 2 piece
- fresh cucumber - 1 piece
- bell pepper czerwona - 1 piece
- fresh coriander - 1 handful
- fresh mint - 0.5 handful
- unsalted peanuts - 40 g
- oil roślinny - 2 tablespoon
- soy sauce sojowy - 3 tablespoon
- lime juice - 3 tablespoon
- sugar trzcinowy lub miód - 1.5 tablespoon
- garlic - 2 clove
- fresh chili pepper - 0.5 piece
- sesame oil sezamowy (opcjonalnie) - 1 teaspoon
Preparation
- Cut the chicken into thin strips. Mix with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, half of the minced garlic, and 1 teaspoon of oil. Set aside for at least 10 minutes, until the meat slightly darkens and feels slick from the marinade, with no dry spots.
- Pour boiling water over the rice noodles in a large bowl, cover, and leave for 5–7 minutes, until the strands are soft but still springy when bitten. Drain, rinse with cold water, and let them drain very well until no more drops fall and the noodles are no longer clumped together.
- Peel the carrot and cut it into thin matchsticks or ribbons; slice the cucumber and bell pepper into thin strips. The vegetables should be thin so they stay crunchy but mix easily with the noodles and don’t form thick, hard chunks.
- Heat the remaining oil in a grill pan or regular pan over medium‑high heat. Fry the chicken strips for 6–8 minutes, turning, until you see clear, golden brown grill marks and, when cut, there is no pink meat or translucent fibers inside.
- Set the cooked chicken aside on a plate for 5 minutes so the juices can settle. Then, if needed, cut it into smaller, bite‑sized pieces – the surface should stay juicy, not dry or stringy.
- In a small bowl, make the dressing: mix the remaining soy sauce, lime juice, sugar or honey, the rest of the garlic, finely chopped chili, and sesame oil. Stir until the sugar crystals have completely dissolved and the dressing is smooth and lightly glossy.
- In a large bowl, combine the well‑drained noodles, carrot, cucumber, and bell pepper. Add half of the dressing and mix thoroughly with your hands or tongs until the noodle strands are slick, shiny, and evenly coated with no dry, dull patches.
- Add the chicken pieces, torn coriander leaves, and mint. Pour in the remaining dressing and gently toss from the bottom up so you don’t break the noodles. The flavor should be distinctly tangy and slightly spicy, with the herbs keeping their bright green color.
- Before serving, sprinkle the salad with roughly chopped peanuts. Serve right away at room temperature or slightly chilled – the vegetables should stay crunchy and the noodles springy, not soggy.
Storage
No storage information available for this dish.
I usually make this salad on my “series nights” – I slice the vegetables in advance, then just grill the chicken and toss everything together right before the episode starts. I always make a double batch, because it disappears faster than I can chill the plates.
