Lightly marinated chicken tossed with grilled and roasted bell peppers and a medley of Thai spices makes for a delicious Asian grilled chicken salad. The roasted Thai chili paste is key! Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free. Â
It’s been a while since my last blog post. For a few days I was busy celebrating the Lao New Year in the country’s capital. And then a few more days I was traveling through remote villages without any wifi access.
The new year festivities here are beyond awesome. The celebration lasts at least 3 days and essentially turns into a huge country wide water fight. Yes, there are 3 days here when it is perfectly appropriate to arm yourself with water guns and squirt them at strangers. If that’s not enough for you then there are always buckets of water that you can chuck at people. Or just grab a hose and start spraying.
It was practically impossible to leave your hotel without getting drenched within 5 minutes. You just accept it, and wear quick drying clothing – though in the heat everything dries pretty quickly anyways. It is just as fun to both be a participant in the water throwing and to be on the receiving end. It is just such good-natured whole-hearted fun.
I couldn’t tear myself away. I just loved walking around, getting drench and watching others get drenched as well. Down the main streets there are groups of people on every corner armed and ready for the pickups trucks loaded with people to pass by. At one point we saw an archaic looking Jeep with no less than 30 people piled on top, in front, on the hood, hanging off the sides, you name it.
So on those occasions when you’re either too busy or just having too much fun to worry about making a time consuming meal this dish is perfect. I made this Asian grilled chicken salad with thai roasted chili paste at the Blue Elephant cooking school and it’s the perfect throw together meal without having to sacrifice flavor. Luckily Thai kitchen staples are always bursting with intense flavors so as long as you have the necessary condiments on hand you just need to add some veggies and protein for a quick and yummy meal.
Perfect for grill season too.
Everything I made that day at the cooking class was delicious, including deep fried fish with lemongrass sauce etc, but this dish I especially loved.
Let me know what you think of this Asian grilled chicken salad.
A simple throw together meal that is easy to make without having to sacrifice flavor. Full of Thai favorites and any other veggies or protein you have on hand. Perfect with leftovers. Make this Asian Grilled Chicken Salad for dinner today!
- 6 ounces chicken breast substitute tofu for vegetarian version
- for the chicken marinade:
- 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce substitute gluten free tamari for gluten free
- for the dressing:
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 8 pieces bird's eye chilies (crushed)
- 2 tablespoons Thai roasted chili paste
- 1 1/2 tamarind juice
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce substitute soy sauce or gluten free tamari for vegetarian version
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar
- 1-2 bell peppers yellow, red or green, grilled, peeled and sliced (or use eggplant, asparagus, etc)
- 10-20 sweet basil leaves Italian basil
- 1/2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
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Marinate the chicken in a bowl and grill. Slice into thin pieces. Set aside.
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In a bowl combine the dressing ingredients. Mix until smooth.
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Add grilled chicken and veggies, basil and cilantro. Toss until coated. Serve room temperature.
Recipe from Blue Elephant Cooking School
Medeja says
This salad looks sooooo yummy and sounds very flavorful!
Amanda says
This looks really good but where in the world do you find tamarind juice???
Vicky says
You can find tamarind paste in Asian super markets, or tamarind concentrate or even the raw tamarind blocks. By diluting that with a bit of hot water you end up with tamarind “juice”
Linda says
Have always wanted to make this.