April 9, 2024

Spiced Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing

This post was originally published here on April 22, 2014. I’ve since adjusted the ingredients and recipe instructions slightly. I’ve updated the text and photographs to reflect those changes.

I’ve really come a long way with my eating habits. As a child, my food wasn’t allowed to touch any of the other foods on my plate. If it did, get ready for a meltdown.

But now, having every ingredient piled into the biggest bowl or plate that I can find is my go-to way to consume most of my meals. All my foods are now touching! And I’m happy to report that there are no meltdowns. At least not about that…

This Spiced Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing is a favorite “main meal” salad that I’ve been making and eating for many years. I know the ingredient list looks long, but it’s really very simple. The only reason the ingredient list seems so long is because we’re making our own spice rub for the chicken and our own peanut dressing. But I would bet you have most of the ingredients for both of those components already in your kitchen.

The chicken is cooked in the oven. So there is little mess and it comes out moist and flavorful every time. While the chicken cooks, I make the dressing and prepare the other salad ingredients. My favorite add-ins for this Spiced Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing are black beans, corn, red pepper and scallions. But you can easily make this salad your own. Try adding/substituting diced avocado, tomatoes, red onion, etc. Oh and the spiced chicken is really good on a Caesar salad, too!

This Spiced Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing is also perfect for meal prep. You can make the dressing and store it in your refrigerator for several days. You can also the cooked and cooled chicken breasts in tin foil and store them in your refrigerator for 2-3 days. This makes it quick and easy to prepare a big salad for lunch or dinner.

Cheers,

Liz

Get the Recipe:

Spiced Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing

At a Glance:

Yield: Serves 2

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Print

Ingredients

For the Spiced Chicken:

• 1/2 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme leaves
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

For the Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce (or Tamari if you’re gluten-free)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• Grated zest from 1 lime

For the Salad:

• 2 hearts of romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1/2 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup corn kernels
• 1/2 cup diced red pepper
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup roasted, salted peanuts
• Fresh cilantro
• Lime wedges

Instructions

1. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Get out a baking pan with a wire rack insert and set aside.
2. Combine all the dry ingredients for the spice rub in a small bowl. Then stir in the olive oil to create a paste. Rub this paste all over both sides of the chicken breasts and place them on the wire rack. Transfer to your pre-heated oven and cook for about 25 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken breasts registers 165 degrees. Remove and set aside to rest for 5-10 before slicing.
3. While the chicken cooks, prepare the dressing. Combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and stir until fully combined and smooth. This will take 1-2 minutes of stirring. If the dressing is too thick, you can add additional water to thin it to your desired consistency. 
4. Assemble the salads. Divide the lettuce between two large plates or bowls. Drizzle with some of the dressing. Then top with the sliced chicken breasts, black beans, corn, red pepper, scallions and peanuts, dividing the ingredients evenly. Top with additional dressing, fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice, if desired. Enjoy immediately.