This healthy Asian Chicken Salad is made quick and easy with the help of the Instant Pot! With an exciting combination of flavors and textures, this salad will be one of your new favorites!
If I did a poll to ask you what the top 3 salads you order at a restaurant are, I’m 100% confident one of those 3 would be Asian Chicken Salad. Tell me I’m wrong.
I love a good Asian Salad!
This homemade Asian Chicken Salad has so many fun surprises as you dig through with your happy little fork; it’s like a birthday party in a bowl!
In fact, I made such boisterous celebration over each bite of this salad that even my salad hater said, “Okay, I’m in. Make me a bowl of this salad that you claim fell down from heaven and changed your life forever.”
And guess what, he liked it! Well, not the cabbage part as much, but he did mumble in his too-cool-to-tell-you-how-I-really-feel voice, “Yeah, I’d eat it.”
I’LL TAKE THAT WIN AND CELEBRATE WITH ANOTHER ASIAN SALAD!
It all starts with a bed of shredded napa cabbage, topped with chunks of juicy flavor-bursting chicken. Then come all the fresh, crunchy toppings like carrots, peppers, and snap peas.
Then we’re coming in with sweet mandarin oranges (extra because you can) and a waterfall of crunchies in the form of sesame sticks (how are these so tasty!) and dry roasted peanuts.
Oh wait, we’re not done.
Then comes the Thai Peanut Dressing, which is basically peanut sauce thinned with a bit of water, and it marries all of those ingredients together and turns the whole dang salad into a treasure hunt.
If you’ve got some Chili Crunch hangin’ around, now is its time to shine. Dollop that spice all over and then just see how big your smile gets when you behold your masterpiece.
My son tells me my smile was “weirdly big.”
WHY YOU WILL LOVE ASIAN CHICKEN SALAD
- EASY: The Instant Pot does all the work cooking the chicken, so you can use that time to happily chop through all the veggies. Turn on a fun song and just see how much you enjoy this process.
- DINNER WORTHY SALAD: With every food group showing up here, this is a legit dinner.
- PERFECT COMBINATION: The salads that grab you have exciting combinations of sweet/sour/spicy, smooth/crunchy, warm/cold. THIS SALAD HAS IT ALL!
- HEALTHY: Have you ever examined the nutrition facts for restaurant Asian Chicken Salads? Don’t. Just eat more of this healthy, homemade salad.
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST ASIAN CHICKEN SALAD
- Marinate the chicken, then cook in the pressure cooker
- Get the rest of the salad ingredients chopped and ready; mix up the Thai Peanut Dressing
- Assemble the salad as you please and drizzle with dressing
SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR DETAILED COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
TIPS FOR SUCCESS
- AVOID THICK CHICKEN BREAST: I’ve been at this “pressure cooking” thing long enough to know that huge, thick chicken breasts just don’t cook well. Use chicken that is about 1 inch thick. You can pound it thinner or cut it in half if needed.
- MARINATE: Marinating the chicken makes it so tender and flavorful! If you’re crunched on time though, just throw it in the pot and cook it in the marinade. Pressure cooking does a great job of infusing flavor into meat, so it will be okay.
- PEANUT DRESSING CONSISTENCY: You want this dressing to be thin enough to drizzle over your salad. If it’s too thick, add a splash or two of water until it’s pourable. It will thicken when cold. Let it come to room temperature or add warm water to loosen it back up.
- SALAD FOR ONE OR MANY: This salad is great for one person, but it also is fantastic to bring to a party. Check the recipe below for amounts.
HOW TO STORE, REHEAT, AND FREEZE
- STORE: Cool chicken, then store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Store fresh toppings separately to keep them fresh and crisp.
- REHEAT: The chicken is yummy cold, but if you want it warm, it reheats well in the microwave or on the stovetop.
- FREEZE: Put leftover chicken into a freezer-safe container or ziptop bag and freeze for up to three months. When ready to eat, let it thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat as directed above. The Thai Peanut Dressing also freezes well.
MAKE AHEAD TIPS
- Prep the chicken and marinade the night before so it’s ready to cook at dinner time.
- Vegetables can be chopped a day or 2 in advance and stored in the fridge
- Thai Peanut Dressing can be mixed up 2 days in advance and stored in the fridge.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH
This is a full meal in a bowl, but I will often air fry some egg rolls or potstickers to serve on the side. The peanut dressing is great for dipping!
VARIATIONS
- MORE VEGGIES: Other options are cilantro, cucumber, or scallions.
- MAKE IT A RICE BOWL: If you’d rather have a teriyaki-style bowl, thicken the sauce after the chicken cooks with a cornstarch slurry and serve over rice.
Who’s excited to make their favorite restaurant salad at home?!
I promise it will surpass any restaurant-style, fat/sugar-laden salad you’ve eaten before.
Salads for dinner every night! Who’s with me?
You’re gonna love this salad, friends. May it bring you all the joy it brings me.
Enjoy!
MORE SALAD RECIPES
- FAVORITE ITALIAN SALAD
- MIXED BERRY SPINACH SALAD WITH POPPY SEED DRESSING
- CARIBBEAN CHICKEN SALAD WITH SWEET ORANG VINAIGRETTE
TOOLS/INGREDIENTS USED TO MAKE INSTANT POT QUINOA FRIED RICE
- Instant Pot
- Blender (my Vitamix comes with a smaller cup attachment. If you have something like that, it works great!)
Asian Chicken Salad | Instant Pot Recipe
Healthy Asian Chicken Salad with Thai Peanut Dressing, loaded with vegetables and crunchy toppers – this salad will make you so happy!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 mintues
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Asian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
For the Asian Chicken + Marinade
- 1 pound chicken breasts (about 2-3 chicken breasts, no more than 1 inch thick – see note)
- 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
For the Salad – (These are the ingredients I like in an Asian salad. Feel free to tweak as you like and add the amounts you prefer for each ingredient. See notes if you want to prepare a large salad for a crowd.)
- Napa cabbage, shredded
- Chopped carrots
- Chopped or julienned red bell pepper
- Chopped sugar snap peas
- Mandarin oranges
- Frozen edamame, cooked per package directions
- Sesame sticks
- Dry roasted peanuts, lightly chopped
- Optional: Chili Crunch oil (like Momofuku Chili Crunch)
For the Thai Peanut Dressing
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter (I use natural, unsweetened)
- 2 Tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (2 teaspoons to make it spicy)
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- Juice from ½ lime (about 2 teaspoons)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
- 3 – 4 Tablespoons warm water
Instructions
- For the Asian Chicken: Place chicken and marinade ingredients in a sealed zip-top bag and place in the fridge to marinate for 6-24 hours. See note if you want to skip the marinating time.
- After chicken marinates, pour contents of bag into pressure cooker pot. Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position. Cook at high pressure for 15 minutes.
- When pressure cooking is complete, let pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, then release any remaining pressure.
- Move chicken to a cutting board (keep juices in the pot). Chop the chicken into bite-size pieces, then place back into the pot so it can soak up the extra liquid and flavor.
- For the Salad: While the chicken cooks, prepare and chop salad ingredients.
- For the Thai Peanut Dressing: While the chicken cooks, add all of the dressing ingredients to a jar or mini blender; whisk/blend until smooth. Add warm water, a tablespoon at a time, until it is a salad dressing consistency.
To Assemble: Arrange salad ingredients on a plate. Top with chopped chicken and a generous drizzle of peanut dressing. Place small dollops of chili crunch over the salad (if using).
Notes
- Note on chicken breast: chicken breast will cook more evenly and tenderly if they are an inch or less thick. If chicken is thick, cut in half or pound until 1-inch thick.
- Marinating the chicken gives it more flavor, but you can skip this step if needed. Simply place the chicken and marinade ingredients in the pot and cook as directed.
- Peanut dressing will thicken in the fridge. Either serve at room temperature or add a splash of hot water to thin it out.
- To prepare one large salad for a crowd, I suggest these amounts for each ingredient: 1 napa cabbage, shredded, 1 cup chopped carrots, ¾ cup chopped red bell pepper, 1 cup chopped sugar snap peas, 1 cup mandarin oranges, 1 cup edamame, ½ cup sesame sticks, ½ cup dry roasted peanuts. Serve dressing on the side or wait until just before serving to dress and toss the salad.
Do you want to improve your ability to focus? Watch what happens if you focus on geometry dash for twenty minutes. It sharpens your reaction time, enhances timing, and puts your patience to the test.
Haven’t made this yet but it sure looks delicious and appealing. I hope I can sub chicken thighs for breasts as I always like thighs better. I’ve copied it down for the pressure cooking file I keep on my computer. I suppose it’s not right to choose a star rating for a recipe I’ve not yet made, but I’m sure I’ll love it.
Sigrid, Yes, I think thighs will work great! Let me know if you try it.