This refreshing Carrot Cabbage Salad with Chicken and Peanut Sauce is tangy, creamy, and perfect for meal prep. Be sure to make extra batches of this high protein dish for easy grab-and-go lunches or dinner the whole family will enjoy.
There is so much happening in this salad, from the crunchy carrots, cabbage, cucumbers, and edamame to the creamy avocado and peanut sauce. The flavors and textures blend into a delightful (and filling!) salad that's sure to make your taste buds giddy with pleasure.
Read Jen's section below to learn how this recipe is dietitian approved for insulin resistance, prediabetes and diabetes.
Ingredients For the Carrot Cabbage Salad with Chicken & Peanut Sauce
There are two parts to this salad: the creamy dressing that you simply blitz in the blender, and the salad itself. If you make the dressing the day before, the rest just involves chopping and assembling the salad components. Using pre-cooked or leftover chicken, and pre-shredded carrots and cabbage is a real time saver here.
Ingredients for the peanut sauce:
- Peanut butter: Choose natural peanut butter that doesn't have any other ingredients but peanuts. The kind made with roasted peanuts will impart a more robust flavor to the sauce.
- Lime Juice: Use fresh limes for the best flavor.
- Chili Garlic Sauce: If you like chili and you like garlic, make sure this sauce (affiliate link) is in your fridge at all times. Sriracha sauce will also work here. If you're not fond of spice, skip it altogether.
- Ginger Root: Fresh ginger root from the produce aisle provides the best flavor. If you prefer to use ground ginger, start with ⅛ of a teaspoon and adjust from there.
- Garlic: Again, fresh garlic is best. If you want a shortcut, choose garlic powder over chopped garlic in a jar (which tastes weird to me). If using garlic powder, start with ⅛ of a teaspoon and adjust from there.
- Tamari or Soy Sauce: I prefer the deeper, less salty flavor of tamari sauce (which is often gluten free, but check the label) over soy sauce, but use whichever you prefer.
- Allulose: Most peanut sauces are high in refined sugar. We use a small amount of allulose (affiliate link), which is similarly sweet and derived from natural ingredients, has zero calories, and has minimal impact on glucose levels. Plus, no bitter aftertaste. Learn more about allulose here.
Ingredients for the Salad:
- Cooked Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, torn into bite-sized pieces.
- Carrots: For simplicity, you can buy packaged shredded carrots or easily shred them with this cool tool from OXO (affiliate link). The OXO tool creates more of a fine julienne strip than a shred (which is what you get in a bag of shredded carrots anyway).
- Cabbage: Keep it simple and buy pre-shredded cabbage (think slaw mix), if you prefer. Any mixture of cabbage will work.
- Edamame: Frozen, shelled edamame doesn't even require cooking. Simply run it under hot water, drain it, and it's ready to eat!
- Cucumber: Choose any variety you like. If it's not organic, I peel it to remove any pesticide residue.
- Avocado: If you can, choose a ripe, but still firm avocado so that it doesn't disintegrate into the salad.
- Scallions, also known as green onions, give the salad a sharp, slightly pungent edge. I like to use the white and green parts of the scallion, sliced thinly.
- Cilantro: An optional garnish for a bright, citrusy touch.
- Cashews: Also optional, but I like the extra crunch. Toast the cashews in a dry skillet to really bring out the flavor.
How to Make Carrot Cabbage Salad With Chicken and Peanut Sauce
Making the simple peanut sauce
First, make the dressing by placing all the ingredients in a blender and pulsing a few times until smooth. Add water to the dressing one tablespoon at a time to thin it out to a pourable consistency.
Making the salad
- Tear the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces and set aside (I just do this with my hands).
- Defrost the edamame by running it under hot tap water. Drain and set aside.
- Toast the cashews in a hot skillet over medium heat, stirring often until fragrant and golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Shred the carrots and the cabbage, or dump the pre-measured, pre-shredded cabbage and carrots into and a large salad bowl.
- Add the chicken and edamame to the salad bowl.
- Dice the cucumber and avocado, and slice the scallions and add them to the bowl.
- Add three quarters of the dressing to the salad mixture and toss to coat.
- Portion the salad into bowls and garnish with the toasted cashews and cilantro (optional), and additional dressing if desired.
Common Questions
The salad will keep for up to five days. If making ahead or meal prepping, add the avocado at the last minute to maintain its freshness.
You can refrigerate the dressing for up to five days.
Cooking chicken for this salad is easy. Pre-heat your oven to 425. Take skinless, boneless chicken breast, brush it with olive or avocado oil, and sprinkle salt and pepper, and a bit of garlic powder (optional). Place the chicken on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until an instant read meat thermometer registers 165°F. Let cool and shred.
Yes, absolutely, or you can reduce the amount to your liking.
You can substitute the chicken with high protein tofu. I suggest draining and crumbling the tofu and baking it with a little bit of avocado oil, salt and pepper in a 400°F pre-heated oven for 20 minutes. Use a parchment lined baking sheet so the tofu doesn't stick, and toss every few minutes while baking.
Variations for this Carrot Cabbage Salad
- Try making a vegetarian version with high protein tofu as described above in the common questions section.
- If you're allergic to peanuts or tree nuts in general, consider making a batch of our Cilantro Lime Greek Yogurt Dressing and using it instead. It's just as delicious.
- If you prefer, you can use nutrient-dense baby spinach or shredded romaine lettuce instead of cabbage.
- Sub the chicken with leftover steak for a beefy version.
- Garnish with peanuts instead of cashews for an even more peanutty taste.
- Swap the cilantro with mint leaves or basil leaves for a surprisingly refreshing alternative.
Recipe
Carrot Cabbage Salad With Chicken and Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
Peanut Sauce
- ¼ cup peanut butter roasted, unsalted and natural
- 4 tablespoon lime juice freshly squeezed
- 2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
- 2 teaspoon ginger fresh, peeled (one inch piece)
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon low sodium tamari sauce or low sodium soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon allulose
- 2 tablespoon water adjust for desired consistency
Salad
- 16 oz cooked chicken diced
- ½ cup edamame cooked and cooled
- ¼ cup cashews toasted; optional
- 2 cups carrots, shredded
- 2 cups cabbage, shredded
- 1 cup cucumber diced
- 1 avocado diced
- 2 scallions thinly sliced
- ½ cup cilantro leaves stems removed; optional
Instructions
Peanut Sauce
- Place all the ingredients for the peanut sauce in a blender and pulsing a few times until smooth. Add water to the dressing one tablespoon at a time to thin it out to a pourable consistency.¼ cup peanut butter, 4 tbsp lime juice, 2 tsp chili garlic sauce, 3 garlic cloves, ½ tbsp allulose, 2 tbsp water
Salad
- Shred, chop or tear the cooked chicken into bite size pieces and set aside.16 oz cooked chicken
- Defrost the cooked edamame (if frozen) by running it under hot tap water. Drain and set aside.½ cup edamame
- Toast the cashews in a hot skillet over medium heat, stirring often until fragrant and golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Set aside to cool.¼ cup cashews
- Shred the carrots and the cabbage, or dump the pre-measured, pre-shredded cabbage and carrots into and a large salad bowl.2 cups carrots, shredded, 2 cups cabbage, shredded
- Add the chicken and edamame to the salad bowl.
- Dice the cucumber and avocado. Slice the scallions and add them to the bowl.1 cup cucumber, 1 avocado, 2 scallions
- Add ¾ of the dressing to the salad mixture and toss to coat.
- Portion the salad into bowls and garnish with the toasted cashews and cilantro (optional), and add additional dressing as desired.½ cup cilantro leaves
Nutrition
Dietitian Approved by Jen Birge MS, RDN, CDCES
The Carrot Cabbage Salad with Chicken and Peanut Sauce is another delicious recipe by Jackelin that will have you adding salad to your weekly rotation of meals.
Each serving of the salad provides 39 grams of protein with 31 grams of carbohydrates so this meal has great protein to carb ratio.
Besides having a good amount of protein, this salad is especially filling with 11 grams of fiber per serving. Both protein and fiber help balance glucose and insulin levels – a definite plus!
The Carrot Cabbage Salad with Chicken and Peanut Sauce is delicious and definitely gets my approval!
Enjoy and Please Provide Feedback
I've served this salad to several friends who have followed up with texts asking for the recipe. I hope you love it too. If you make it, please rate this recipe below and share your thoughts with us. We love hearing from you!
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