When you want something delicious and tasty then you can’t go wrong with this Thai Chicken Noodle Salad. The marinade packs a punch when it comes to flavor and the chicken is juicy and tender. It is the perfect salad to enjoy as a whole meal or with some delicious side dishes. 

THAI CHICKEN NOODLE SALAD

Salads are so easy to put together and can often be a healthy and nutritious meal the whole family will enjoy.

This Thai Chicken salad is a complete meal that is light but also very filling. 

The marinade is full of warm, rich flavors that work perfectly with the chicken and the freshness from the salad ingredients like romaine lettuce and shredded carrots brings a lovely balance to your palette. 

This salad isn’t too spicy, and the vermicelli rice noodles really take on all of the flavors of the spices and sauce. 

You can have this salad put together in an hour including the time it takes to marinade the chicken.

A tip that I like to tell people is that the longer you leave the chicken in the marinade, the more intense the flavors will be.

It is also a versatile easy recipe to use with other proteins and ingredients. It works great for whatever vegetables and protein you have on hand. 

I love pairing this salad with this Spicy Thai Basil Chicken Stir-Fry, Thai Roasted Pumpkin Soup, Easy Thai Vegetable Green Curry or this Easy Pork Stir-Fry.

WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE

• Easy to make – This salad may seem complicated as there are a few different ingredients but it comes together simply and easily. You can’t beat a simple salad that is a complete meal.
• Strong flavors – If you love Thai cuisine then you can enjoy all those delicious and spicy flavors with every mouthful. This is a rich salad packed with thai-inspired flavors.
• A satisfying dish – The noodles and chicken along with fresh ingredients  make this a very filling and satisfying meal. This is a crowd pleaser that everyone will love and will keep them feeling full.

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED FOR THIS THAI SALAD: 

MARINADE INGREDIENTS: 

• SESAME OIL
• OLIVE OIL
• SOY SAUCE
• HONEY 
• RED CURRY PASTE
• GARLIC 
• COCONUT MILK, FULL FAT
• LIME JUICE
• PEANUT BUTTER
• CHICKEN BREASTS, BONELESS-SKINLESS

DRESSING INGREDIENTS:

• VERMICELLI RICE NOODLES
• ROMAINE LETTUCE
• CUCUMBER
• SHREDDED CARROTS
• GREEN ONIONS
• AVOCADO
• JALAPENOS
• CILANTRO
• PEANUTS
• LIME WEDGES 

HOW TO MAKE THAI CHICKEN NOODLE SALAD

Now that you have all your ingredients to hand it is time to make the simple and tasty Thai Chicken Salad. 

MAKE THE MARINADE & DRESSING: First of all, you are going to make the marinade and dressing.

In a medium bowl whisk together sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, soy sauce, honey, red curry paste, garlic, salt, coconut milk, lime juice, and peanut butter. Set aside until you need the creamy peanut sauce.

ADD THE CHICKEN INTO THE MARINADE:  Add the chicken to another large bowl and pour half of the marinade on top. Move the chicken around to ensure that everything is coated with the marinade.

Allow the chicken to marinate for at least 20 minutes while you prepare the salad. However, the longer you can leave it the better. 

COOK THE NOODLES: Cook the Vermicelli rice noodles according to the instructions on the packet. Once cooked, drain noodles and set aside.

When you are ready, heat a grill pan over medium-high heat and add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the hot pan. Make sure the oil is coating the entire pan.

GRILL OR COOK THE CHICKEN: Remove the chicken from the marinade and add to the hot pan.

Cook for 5 to 6 minutes on one side without moving the chicken. Using a pair of tongs, flip the chicken and continue to cook for another 5 to 6 minutes on the other side, or until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165˚F

Transfer the grilled chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

CREATE THE SALAD: Divide the lettuce and rice noodles among 4 bowls. Top each bowl with chicken, cucumbers, carrots, green onions, avocado slices, jalapeños, cilantro and fresh herbs, and peanuts if using.

Drizzle each with the remaining dressing and serve with lime wedges.

RECIPE NOTES AND MODIFICATIONS

While I try and provide step-by-step instructions with the method, often there are recipe notes and tips that help you make the most out of the recipe. Here are some of the essential tips and tricks to help you make this tasty Thai Noodle salad. 

• Some people find it hard to find Vermicelli noodles in their local store. I get mine from Target and but you can usually find them in the International food aisle of your grocery store. If not, there are some substitutions including Udon, Soba noodles, ramen noodles, angel hair pasta or Zucchini noodles would work.
• The longer your chicken has to marinate, the more intense the flavor will be. A minimum of 20 minutes is needed to infuse the flavors but don’t marinade over 2 hours.
• Other sauce ingredients that add flavor would be fish sauce, brown sugar for some sweetness, 
• We have used chicken in this recipe but the flavors lend themselves well to other proteins including shrimp, salmon, beef, and tofu. 
• Make this a veggie dish by using other vegetables with the marinade instead of Chicken. Some I like are bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, red cabbage and eggplant. All of these would work well with this Thai salad. 
• I used boneless skinless chicken breasts but you could use chicken thighs instead for this recipe. Debone and deskin the chicken thigh before marinating and cooking on the grill pan. You also could use a rotisserie chicken to save time. 
• You could make this a vegan salad by choosing to use Tofu instead of chicken. Or why not marinate other vegetables like Zucchini or yellow and red bell pepper?
• If you want to make this recipe gluten-free, simply replace the soy sauce with tamari sauce or gluten-free soy sauce. You may also need to check that the red curry paste you are using is gluten-free. You can buy gluten-free options.  
• Seeds and nuts are a great addition to this salad. I used peanuts but cashews would work. I also like sesame seeds or pumpkin seeds.

HOW SHOULD I SERVE THIS SALAD?

This dish is perfectly enjoyable and served as it is, but you could add some delicious side dishes if you are feeding a crowd.

An edamame side dish or a cucumber salad would work well.

Or you could add some other Thai dishes like spring rolls and gyozas. 

HOW DO I STORE THE SALAD?

If you do have any leftovers or you want to make this ahead of time then make sure the salad cools completely before adding to an airtight container.

Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

You can reheat the chicken and noodles in the microwave or in a skillet over medium heat. Then reassemble the salad. Don’t heat up the lettuce or other toppings.

OTHER CHICKEN SALAD RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE:

GREEK CHICKEN SALAD 

HEALTHY MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN SALAD 

BBQ CHOPPED CHICKEN SALAD

COBB SALAD 

WALDORF SALAD 

Questions? Please ask! I love helping and offering my suggestions. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #acedarspoon. I love to see what you are cooking! Happy Cooking- Julia