Teriyaki Chicken Crunch Salad Recipe

This teriyaki chicken crunch salad recipe offers a fresh twist on traditional chicken salads, combining Asian-inspired flavors with a satisfying crunch. With just a few ingredients and a homemade peanut dressing, this salad will have you saying goodbye to expensive takeout and hello to fresh, delicious, and filling homemade dinner salads.

According to Ksenia Prints of At the Immigrant's Table, what makes this salad taste better than any restaurant dish is the use of juicy, scrumptious chicken thighs. Marinated in homemade teriyaki sauce and cooked on a blistering hot pan, these chicken strips add protein and flavor to this otherwise simple salad. You can dice them or shred them, but any way you slice it, you might find yourself mopping up your plate to catch any errant drip of sauce.

Paired with a crunchy colorful mix of blanched broccoli, julienned carrots, and shredded cabbage and topped with creamy peanut dressing, this recipe balances nutritious ingredients with punchy flavors, making it both satisfying and delicious. And what's even better is that it tastes just as good the next day. So who's up for meal prep salad?

The list of ingredients to make this salad may seem long, but we promise you that the process is very straightforward. It starts with the chicken marinade and peanut sauce, which need soy sauce, mirin (or any Chinese cooking wine), brown sugar, minced garlic cloves, fresh grated ginger, creamy peanut butter, rice vinegar, sesame oil and warm water, for thinning. To make the chicken, grab a pound of boneless, skinless chicken thighs and vegetable oil, for frying. For the salad, blanched and cooled broccoli florets, julienned carrots, shredded cabbage, roasted peanuts, and sliced scallions will complete the dish.

To make the teriyaki sauce, in a saucepan, combine ½ cup soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, 2 minced garlic cloves, and 1 teaspoon grated ginger.

Simmer for 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Let cool slightly.

Marinate the chicken in half the teriyaki sauce for 1 hour.

Whisk together the peanut butter, vinegar, sesame oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 minced garlic clove, 1 teaspoon grated ginger, and enough warm water to reach a pourable consistency.

Preheat a pan with oil to medium heat.

Sear the chicken for 5-6 minutes per side until cooked through.

Let cool fully, about 20 minutes.

Slice the chicken into strips.

Arrange the broccoli, carrots, and cabbage on a plate.

Top with the chicken slices.

Sprinkle with the remaining teriyaki sauce, peanut dressing, peanuts, and scallions.

Toss together and serve the salad chilled or at room temperature.

If you want to switch up the chicken in this recipe, you can use different cuts of chicken or even make it vegetarian. The key here is the mix of flavors and textures, and you can accomplish that with other proteins.

For chicken variations, boneless skinless chicken breasts can be substituted for thighs, though you may need to adjust the cooking time slightly as breast meat tends to cook faster and can dry out more easily. To save yourself the cooking, you can even take prepared rotisserie chicken, shred it, and stir fry it in the teriyaki sauce — it'll still taste juicy and delicious.

For a vegetarian version, our favorite alternative is to use tempeh. The key is to ensure it's well-marinated in the teriyaki sauce until it absorbs all the flavors, about 30 minutes to an hour, and then fry it until golden. Firm tofu, cut into cubes and marinated in the teriyaki sauce, can also be pan-fried for a similar texture to chicken. Crispy chickpeas that have been pan-fried will also provide a nice and crunchy alternative. If you'd like to omit the protein completely, you can even saute mushrooms or cauliflower florets in the sauce and top the salad with them, still warm, for a nice contrast.

This teriyaki chicken salad is an excellent make-ahead dish, making it perfect for meal planning or picnics. You can prepare all the components in advance and store the vegetables and chicken separately from the peanut sauce in the fridge. They will last for 4 days in the fridge, and can be easily tossed together the morning before you're ready to eat them. If made just a day ahead, then this salad actually gets better after resting in the fridge as all the flavors will meld together.

This salad is also perfect for picnics or outdoor events. Unlike traditional leafy salads that wilt quickly, the sturdy veggies in this recipe — broccoli, carrots, and cabbage — hold up well over time and don't become soggy. The salad also tastes amazing whether chilled or at room temperature, so it's easy and safe to transport. In other words, this is the perfect salad to enjoy hassle-free when eating outdoors, to take to work, or to pack in a lunchbox.