This Satay Chicken Salad with sweet chicken tenderloin strips and peanut sauce is a super fresh, healthy and fun family dinner.
Sometimes (i.e., the week of Christmas), you just want something fresh, simple and healthy for dinner, and this is your answer. It’s got just the right amount of yummy sweet chilli sauce and peanut satay to satisfy, but it’s also packed with fresh greens like mint, edamame beans, cos lettuce and lime, and we serve it on a bed of vermicelli rice noodles. You’ll feel healthier and restored just looking at it! Enjoy.
What is in our Chicken Satay Salad?
- Satay Chicken - sweet chilli sauce (sub honey), soy sauce, sesame oil, chicken tenderloins
- Satay Sauce - sweet chilli sauce (sub honey), soy sauce, sesame oil, peanut butter, lime
- Salad - carrot, Lebanese cucumber, cos lettuce, coriander, edamame beans, avocado
- Noodles - vermicelli rice noodles like these ones.
See recipe card for quantities.
What goes well with Satay Chicken?
Because satay chicken has salty, sticky and sweet flavours of soy and sweet chilli, you want something crisp and fresh like carrots, cucumber and edamame to offset the richness of the chicken.
Is satay sauce supposed to be spicy?
Satay sauce is meant to be a balance of sweet (Sweet chilli), salty (soy), spicy (chili), sour (lime) and that umami flavour (sesame oil).
How to make Satay Chicken Salad
1. Make a sauce base by combining sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil.
TIP: If you are worried the chilli might be too hot, you can swap sweet chilli sauce for honey.
- ¼ cup sweet chilli sauce (sub honey)
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil
2. Place chicken into a bowl and drizzle over half the sauce. Make sure it is well covered. Set aside at room temperature.
- 500g chicken tenderloins
3. Add peanut butter to the remaining sauce. Juice lime and add water to the sauce and whisk to combine.
- 2 tablespoon peanut butter
- 1 lime
- 2 tablespoon water
4. Put a saucepan of water on to boil.
5. Peel and julienne carrot. Slice cucumber into spears. Slice lettuce into quarters. Chop coriander. Measure edamame beans and cover with water, then drain. Slice avocado into eighths.
- 2 carrots
- 1 Lebanese cucumber
- 1 cos lettuce
- 1 bunch coriander
- 1 cup frozen edamame beans
- 1 avocado
6. Add noodles to boiling water and cook according to packet instructions (sit in hot water for 4 minutes). Drain.
- 200g vermicelli rice noodles
7. Place a lidded frying pan on medium heat. Add oil and cook chicken with the lid on, for 3 minutes each side.
TIP: The sugar in the sauce will burn quickly so we cook at a lower temp with the lid on.
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
8. To serve little ones, place drained noodles, cucumber spears, carrot, edamame beans and avocado on their plate, and add peanut sauce on the side. Serve with sliced chicken.
For adults, plate up noodles and drizzle over a little sesame oil, add veggies including lettuce wedges and coriander, and top with chicken and sauce.
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 cos lettuce
- 1 Lebanese cucumber
- 2 carrots
- 1 cup edamame beans
- 1 avocado
- 1 bunch coriander
Top tip
To julienne carrot, you can either use one of those do-das that do it for you, or if you’re like me, and relying just on your knife skills, then cut your carrot in half to form a flat platform, then slice as finely as you can into slices, then turn those slices on their side, and slice them into thin sticks. It’s the best way I know how to do it!
Substitutions in Satay Chicken Noodle Salad
- Alternative proteins - Swap chicken tenderloin for chicken breast or pork steaks or diced beef.
- Vegetarian - Swap chicken for firm tofu or future chicken.
- Dairy Free - This recipe is dairy free.
- Gluten Free - This recipe is gluten free - just swap soy sauce for tamari.
Kid-Friendly Variations
- Serve noodles, chicken, edamame, carrot and cucumber with sauce on the side, and skip the lettuce and coriander.
- Option to swap sweet chilli sauce for honey.
Equipment for Satay Chicken Noodle Salad
You will need a saucepan, a stovetop, a lidded frying pan.
More Dinner Ideas
If you're on the hunt for some more other yummy chicken dinners, check them out here. Or if you're in the mood for Asian food, you could try my Dan Dan Noodles, this Vietnamese Chicken Bowl or this Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry.
Recipe
Satay Chicken Noodle Salad
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Stovetop
- Lidded frying pan
Ingredients
- ¼ cup sweet chilli sauce sub honey
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- Sesame oil 2.5 tbsp
- 500 g chicken tenderloins
- 2 tablespoon peanut butter
- 1 lime
- 2 tablespoon water
- 2 carrots
- 1 Lebanese cucumber
- 1 cos lettuce
- 1 bunch coriander
- 1 cup frozen edamame beans
- 1 avocado
- 200 g vermicelli rice noodles
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- Make a sauce base by combining sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce and 2 tablespoons sesame oil.TIP: If you are worried the chilli might be too hot, you can swap sweet chilli sauce for honey.¼ cup sweet chilli sauce, 2 tablespoon soy sauce, Sesame oil
- Place chicken into a bowl and drizzle over half the sauce. Make sure it is well covered. Set aside at room temperature.500 g chicken tenderloins
- Add peanut butter to the remaining sauce. Juice lime and add water to the sauce and whisk to combine.2 tablespoon peanut butter, 1 lime, 2 tablespoon water
- Put a saucepan of water on to boil.
- Peel and julienne carrot. Slice cucumber into spears. Slice lettuce into quarters. Chop coriander. Measure edamame beans and cover with water, then drain. Slice avocado into eighths.2 carrots, 1 Lebanese cucumber, 1 cos lettuce, 1 bunch coriander, 1 cup frozen edamame beans, 1 avocado
- Add noodles to boiling water and cook according to packet instructions (sit in hot water for 4 minutes). Drain.200 g vermicelli rice noodles
- Place a lidded frying pan on medium heat. Add oil and cook chicken with the lid on, for 3 minutes each side.TIP: The sugar in the sauce will burn quickly so we cook at a lower temp with the lid on.1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- To serve little ones, place drained noodles, cucumber spears, carrot, edamame beans and avocado on their plate, and add peanut sauce on the side. Serve with sliced chicken.For adults, plate up noodles and drizzle over half a teaspoon sesame oil, add veggies including lettuce wedges and coriander, and top with chicken and sauce.Sesame oil, 2 carrots, 1 Lebanese cucumber, 1 cos lettuce, 1 bunch coriander, 1 cup frozen edamame beans, 1 avocado
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