Thai Peanut Chicken Pasta Salad

Thai Peanut Chicken Pasta Salad combines healthy vegetables with a delicious peanut sauce. A super simple dish that the whole family will love!

I know I tell you all which dishes are my kids favorites. I might be overusing the word a bit, because isn’t a favorite only supposed to be one meal? Well, they do have a few favorites. But, this dish….. This Thai Peanut Chicken Pasta Salad is their Absolute Favorite!!! We make it often around here, and I decided to finally put it on the blog.

My kids just completed their second week of school, and if you have been following me on Instagram, you know that I’m posting lunchbox ideas each week. Naturally, we eat this dinner often, and it happened to double-up as a lunchbox main course idea this week too. One of my lovely followers asked where she could find the recipe. So we have her to thank as I’m posting it now!

The vegetables are a mix of my family’s favorites: edamame, carrots, and bell pepper. Cucumbers also work well in this dish. Feel free to customize to your taste!

The peanut dressing comes together quickly in a food processor, and can be a versatile recipe to be used in many salads or even as a dip. I love to double it up, and use it all week! Another tip, if you plan on enjoying this pasta salad on more than one occasion during the week (like in a lunchbox or for leftovers), you may want to keep some extra sauce on hand to add to the pasta. It has a tendency to dry out after being refrigerated. Finally, if you are making chicken on a different night of the week, a great tip for this recipe is to cook a few extra chicken breasts to save for this recipe. It would be so ridiculously easy if you already have prepared chicken!

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Thai Peanut Chicken Pasta Salad

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Author Amy Rains

5 from 1 vote

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Ingredients

• For the Dressing:
• 1/2 cup peanut butter I prefer crunchy, but smooth is fine
• 1/4 cup soy sauce I love the GF brand Tamari
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup sesame oil
• 1 tbsp salad oil canola or olive oil
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
• 1 large clove minced garlic
• 2 tbsp water*
• For the Salad:
• 2 Chicken Breast
• 2 tbsp coconut oil or sesame oil
• 16 oz Penne Pasta
• 8 oz shelled edamame
• 8 oz matchstick carrots
• 1 bell pepper chopped (red, yellow, or orange)
• Salt to taste
• Sesame seeds for garnish optional
• Chopped green onion for garnish optional

Instructions

1. Begin by heating up a large skillet to medium high heat. Add coconut oil or sesame oil, then chicken. Lower the heat a bit, and cook chicken for about 5 minutes per side or until it is no longer pink inside. Set aside. Once cooled off a bit, chop into small strips or chunks.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, make the peanut dressing. Add all the dressing ingredients to a food processor. Pulse until smooth.
3. Combine pasta, chicken, edamame, carrots, bell pepper, and dressing. Toss to combine.
4. Serve immediately. Garnish with sesame seeds and green pepper.