Fresh and incredibly flavorful, this chicken spring roll salad is a must-try! Filled with colorful veggies, rice noodles, tender chicken, crunchy peanuts, fragrant herbs and tossed in a delicious peanut dressing. So good!
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Why you'll love this recipe
- This salad is ridiculously delicious! It's colorful, filled with veggies, high in protein and nourishing! Yes, as you can probably tell, I love this Asian-inspired recipe so much. The chicken is super tender like in my very popular chicken and shrimp fried rice.
- While it looks impressive, it's actually simple to make. It does require some chopping but using a shredder, veggie chopper or even buy pre-cut veggies will make it quicker.
- It's a perfect recipe for a gathering with friends and family. It's bursting with flavors and textures, and its beauty will win your guests over. It's fresh, and can be customized too with different veggies or protein.
Key Ingredients and Variations
- Chicken breast: lean chicken cut in bite size pieces. I use the velveting method to tenderize it, but it's optional. You can just sauté or grill the chicken before adding it to the salad. Or even use leftover or rotisserie chicken. It can be replaced with more veggies or even shrimp or tofu.
- Rice noodles: spring rolls are wrapped in rice paper so the noodles are an important ingredient to this recipe. Choose very thin ones like vermicelli. And they're gluten-free.
- The veggies: cabbage, carrots and cucumber are often used in spring rolls. They could be shredded, cut julienne or sliced thinly. I use green onions and avocado too. Bell peppers would be great as well.
- Fresh herbs: I chose fresh mint and fresh cilantro. They're amazing together in this spring roll salad.
- Peanuts: they add an amazing crunch and complete this salad. They could be replaced with cashews.
- Peanut dressing: this is key to the deliciousness of this recipe. Made with smooth natural peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, fresh lime, garlic, ginger, a little hot sauce and toasted sesame oil.
How to make this chicken spring roll salad
- The very first step is to prep all your veggies. Shred the cabbage and carrots, slice the cucumber, chop the green onions and herbs.
- Cook the rice noodles per the instructions on the package.
Combine diced chicken with baking soda, rice vinegar and soy sauce. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes max.
Once the chicken has marinated, place in a mesh strainer and rinse it well under cold water. Place it on a plate or bowl, and pat dry with paper towels.
Cook on medium-high heat for about 6-7 minutes or until no longer pink.
Chop the peanuts roughly.
Whisk together the peanut dressing.
Assemble the salad. Dress and enjoy!
More Salad Recipes
If you love salads check these out!
Tips
- Don't cut or add the avocado until right before serving to avoid browning.
- Use fresh ingredients and fresh herbs for the best flavors.
- The peanut butter dressing can be prepared in advance and stored refrigerated.
- Add spice to the salad with extra hot sauce like sriracha or fresh jalapeño. You can also add red pepper flakes to the dressing.
- Don't overcook the chicken.
- Add a little more water to the dressing if it feels too thick to your taste, but just a tad at a time, a little goes a long way.
- Make sure the noodles are cool and well drained before adding to the salad.
Frequently asked questions
Is this chicken spring roll salad gluten-free?
Double check the soy sauce you use because most of them contain wheat. Use a labeled gluten-free one, or swap it for lite tamari or coconut aminos. All the other ingredients are gluten-free.
Can I just use chicken I already have on hand?
Definitely, as long as it's fairly plain. Rotisserie chicken works great for this recipe too.
Can I add fruit to the salad?
Absolutely! Mango, or tangerines would be so delicious in this recipe.
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Chicken Spring Roll Salad
Fresh and incredibly flavorful, this chicken spring roll salad is a must-try! Filled with colorful veggies, rice noodles, tender chicken, crunchy peanuts, fragrant herbs and tossed in a delicious peanut dressing. So good!
Equipment
- sharp knife
- shredder optional
- veggie chopper optional
- pot to cook the rice noodles
- strainer
- paper towels
- wooden spoon or spatula
Ingredients
To Tenderize the Chicken
- 1 ½ pound chicken breast chopped
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 drizzle oil olive, avocado or off choice; to cook the chicken
For the Peanut Dressing
- ⅓ cup peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons sriracha more or less to taste
- 2 tablespoons water or more if needed
For the Salad
- 120 grams rice noodles thin like vermicelli; about ½ pack; cooked, cold
- 2 cups shredded red cabbage
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- 2-3 Persian cucumbers thinly sliced
- 3 green onions thinly sliced
- 1-2 avocado chopped
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint or more to taste
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or more to taste
- ⅓ cup peanuts chopped
- salt
- black pepper
- sliced jalapeño optional
Instructions
Prep
- Start by prepping the veggies by shredding the carrots and cabbage. You can use a cutting board and knife, my favorite way is using a cheese shredder. Slice the cucumber thinly (optional but recommended: place the slices in a bowl and sprinkle salt generously and let sit. Water will be released, pat the cucumber slice with paper towels)Cook the rice noodles per package instructions.Chop the green onions.Chop the mint and cilantro.
- Chop the peanuts roughly.
To Tenderize the Chicken *this is optional but recommended. You can simply sauté the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
- In a bowl, combine the diced chicken with baking soda, rice vinegar and soy sauce. Let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes max, stirring once halfway.
- Once the chicken has marinated, place it in a mesh strainer and rinse it well under cold water. Place it on a plate or bowl, and pat it with paper towels to soak extra moisture.
- In the large skillet heat oil, once hot add the chicken in a single layer, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook on medium-high heat for about 6-7 minutes or until no longer pink, flipping it a few times. Then remove and set aside on a plate.
Make the Dressing
- Whisk together the ingredients to make the peanut vinaigrette: peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, lime juice, sesame oil, ginger, minced garlic, sriracha and water (add a tad more water if dressing feels too thick)
Assemble
- Chop (or slice) the avocado. In a large bowl or plate, assemble all the veggies, rice noodles, chicken, fresh herbs, peanuts and dressing. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Gently stir, serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Low-Sodium Soy Sauce: can be replaced with lite tamari or coconut aminos to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Avocado: chop or slice right before serving the salad.
- Storage: leftovers can be stored refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days (avocado will not store well)
*The nutritional values shown in this recipe are approximate for one suggested serving size using the ingredients listed but not including any optional items and may vary per actual preferred portion sizes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 588.4kcal | Carbohydrates: 43.9g | Protein: 49.1g | Fat: 26.4g | Saturated Fat: 5.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15.3g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 108.9mg | Sodium: 632.8mg | Potassium: 1560.6mg | Fiber: 9.6g | Sugar: 12.6g | Vitamin A: 11618.7IU | Vitamin C: 44.2mg | Calcium: 113.7mg | Iron: 3.1mg
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About Priscilla Lawrence
Hi there, I'm Priscilla Lawrence! Welcome to Sprinkled With Balance where I share elevated and approachable nutrient-rich recipes that aren't overly restrictive, complicated or boring! Based in California but born and raised in France, I'm a mom of two, former certified nutritionist, recipe developer, and food photographer.
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