Best Grilled Thai Chicken Salad Recipes

THAI GRILLED CHICKEN WITH THAI GREEN PAPAYA SALAD (GAI YANG WITH SOM TAM)

Steps:

• For the Thai grilled chicken: Spatchcock each chicken by placing it breast-side down on a cutting board with the legs closest to you. Use kitchen shears to cut down the backbone. Flip the chicken over and press down in the center of the breast to flatten. Prick the skin side all over with a fork.
• Add the cilantro roots, fish sauce, palm sugar, peppercorns, oyster sauce, turmeric, salt and 4 cloves of the garlic to a food processor. Process until all the peppercorns are broken up and a chunky paste is formed.
• Rub the chicken all over with the paste (including under the skin) and marinate at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours.
• Meanwhile, cook the remaining 8 cloves garlic with the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until light golden brown, about 3 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, capturing the oil in a small bowl beneath. Spread the garlic on a plate to cool; reserve for serving.
• Before grilling, bring the chicken to room temperature for an hour. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the garlic oil over the chicken.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat a double-burner grill pan over medium heat.
• Place chickens skin-side down on the grill pan at a 45 degree angle. Cook until marked by the grill pan, flipping once to create crosshatches, about 5 minutes. Transfer skin-side up to a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack.
• Trim off the spiky top and the base from the lemongrass, peel off the first few outer layers and then bruise the stalk with the heel of a chef's knife; this helps release the flavorful oils. Using the bruised lemongrass as a brush, baste the chickens all over with some of the remaining garlic oil.
• Cook in the oven until the chickens are golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part registers 165 degrees F, 10 to 15 minutes. For the last 2 minutes of baking, switch the oven to broil.
• Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes and then cut each into pieces. Garnish with the reserved garlic.
• For the Thai green papaya salad: Add the garlic, chiles, fish sauce, palm sugar and lime juice to a food processor. Process until a chunky paste is formed. (At this point you can adjust the flavor to your liking; add more fish sauce for a saltier taste, more lime juice to make the salad more sour.)
• Transfer the paste to a large bowl and add the papaya, long beans, tomatoes and the dried shrimp and 1 tablespoon of the peanuts if using. Mix together by hand, rubbing the paste into the salad, making sure to coat everything.
• Transfer the salad to a serving dish, making sure to get all the dressing. Top with the remaining 1 tablespoon peanuts if using.

GRILLED CHICKEN SALAD WITH THAI LIME-CHILE VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• In a medium bowl, mix together vinegar, fish sauce, sambal paste, soy sauce, sesame oil, and lime juice. Slowly whisk in 1/4 cup vegetable oil to emulsify. Stir in 1 slice red chile and 1/4 cup chopped cilantro; set vinaigrette aside.
• Heat a grill pan over high heat. Rub chicken with 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper. Place chicken on grill pan and cook, turning once, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a baking sheet; transfer to oven and bake until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool.
• Fill a medium saucepan with oil to a depth of 3 inches; heat oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 375 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Working in batches, add cellophane noodles to hot oil and cook until puffed, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to cool.
• Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Prepare an ice-water bath and set aside. Add snow peas to boiling water and cook until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain and transfer to ice-water bath until cooled. Drain and thinly slice on the bias.
• Arrange cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, noodles, and snow peas on a large platter. Slice cooled chicken and arrange over salad. Garnish with peanuts, basil, mint, and remaining slices of chile. Serve with vinaigrette.

GRILLED THAI CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• In a blender, combine the first six ingredients; cover and process until blended. Pour into a large resealable plastic bag; add chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for at least 1 hour. , Drain and discard marinade. Lightly oil the grill rack. , Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 4-7 minutes on each side or a thermometer reads 170°. , In a large salad bowl, combine the greens, red pepper, bean sprouts and peas. In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients until smooth. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Cut chicken into strips; arrange over salad.

THAI GRILLED CHICKEN SALAD WITH BASIL & MINT

Steps:

• Stir together the marinade and pour over the chicken strips. Toss to coat, then set in the refrigerator to marinate while you prepare the salad greens.
• Stir the salad dressing ingredients together in a cup. Taste-test the dressing, looking for a tangy taste that is a balance between sweet and sour, salty and spicy (it should have some kick to it from the cayenne/chili). Add a little more sugar if it's too sour. Set aside.
• Heat up grill and lightly brush grill with a little vegetable oil. Grill your marinated chicken, basting it with the left-over marinate the first time you turn it. For oven-broiling, place chicken strips on a broiler pan (or on a foil-covered cookie sheet, turning up foil at the edges to prevent spilling). Set oven to broil setting and place chicken on one of the upper racks, turning it every 3-5 minutes, or until well done.
• For the mint and basil, stack the leaves on top of each other, then thinly slice into slivers and toss in with the salad. Add most to the salad and toss with most of the dressing. Portion out onto plates and top with the hot chicken strips. Drizzle remaining dressing over the chicken and top with remaining basil and mint. For those who like it spicy, minced fresh chili can also be sprinkled over.