Spring Roll-Inspired Grilled Chicken Salad

Here is a salad that you’re going to want to make all summer long! Inspired by ingredients and flavors commonly found in a spring roll, this Spring Roll-Inspired Grilled Chicken Salad is a complete showstopper. 

I absolutely love the flavors + textures of spring rolls — soft noodles, crisp veggies, fresh herbs, what could you not love? With that in mind, I created this recipe inspired by all the flavors and ingredients I love. And what you are left with is a filling, satisfying salad that is impressive enough for summer entertaining, but also simple enough for an easy weeknight recipe either on your grill or a grill pan indoors. 

For this recipe, you will start off by making a delicious peanut dressing for the salad, which will also double as the marinade for your chicken. The chicken is then grilled off and served over rice noodles, lettuce, cucumber, carrots, and tons of herbs and then drizzled with the peanut dressing. It is SO satisfying and so so addicting.

I plan on making this Spring Roll-Inspired Grilled Chicken Salad become one of my go-to summer entertaining dishes because it’s simple to make yet impressive and exciting to serve! Enjoy! 

Spring Roll-Inspired Grilled Chicken Salad

Serves: 4

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5 from 21 votes

Total Time45 minutes mins

Ingredients

For the Marinade + Dressing:

• ¼ cup avocado oil
• ½ cup coconut aminos
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp coconut sugar
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tbsp red curry paste
• ⅓ cup unsweetened full fat coconut milk
• 1 tsp lime zest
• 2 tbsp creamy peanut butter

For the Chicken:

• 2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
• ½ tsp Kosher salt

For the Salad:

• 2 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce
• 2 Persian or mini cucumbers halved and thinly sliced
• 1 cup matchstick carrots
• 3 green onions thinly sliced on the diagonal
• ¾ cup loosely chopped mint more for serving
• ¾ cup loosely chopped cilantro more for serving
• ¾ cup loosely chopped Thai basil leaves more for serving
• 6 oz vermicelli rice noodles
• ½ cup roughly chopped peanuts
• Thinly sliced jalapeño optional for serving
• Lime wedges for serving

Instructions

Make the Marinade + Dressing

• Starting with the marinade, in a large bowl, add the avocado oil, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, fish sauce, coconut sugar, garlic, red curry paste, coconut milk and lime zest and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
• Next, make the dressing. In a separate small bowl, add the peanut butter and ½ cup of the marinade mixture, whisk until smooth. If it is too thick, add additional marinade 1 tbsp at a time. Set aside.

Marinate the Chicken

• To the large bowl with remaining marinade, add your chicken and salt and toss to coat. Set aside to marinate while you prepare the salad.

Prepare the Salad

• In a large bowl, add the lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, green onion, mint, cilantro and Thai basil, gently toss to combine and set aside.
• Next, cook your noodles according to the package directions. Once cooked, drain then place in a bowl of ice water to chill while you grill your chicken.

Grill the Chicken

• Heat grill over medium-high heat (350- 400 degrees F) and oil the grill grates (to do this, dip a wadded paper towel in a little oil and, using tongs, wipe the oil evenly over the grate. Be careful not to use too much oil, because that's a sure fire way to start a good flare-up—a little goes a long way here.)
• Cook the chicken over the heat for 4-5 minutes per side, until grill marks appear and the chicken is cooked through. The lid should be closed throughout the cooking process.
• Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 5-8 minutes before slicing and serving.

Assemble the Salads

• Drain the rice noodles and divide amongst 4 bowls. Next, divide the lettuce mixture amongst each bowl, then top each with the slice chicken. Drizzle each with the dressing then top with the peanuts and additional herbs. Serve with lime wedges and enjoy!

Photography by Eat Love Eats.