Spruce up your sandwiches, wraps or bowls with this delicious healthy satay chicken salad! Chock full of flavour, this healthy salad combines peanut butter, sweet chilli sauce and liquid aminos to give your standard chicken salad a run for it’s money- Gluten Free, low carb and a paleo option!
I’ve mentioned on here multiple times before but I come from a mixed background. My dad’s side is Malaysian so I had a very ‘cultured’ palate growing up. To be completely honest, there wasn’t very much food I’d consider ‘Malaysian’. Anything remotely Asian tasting, I’d associate with it being Chinese.
Rice = Chinese.
Spicy chicken dishes = Chinese.
Soy Sauce = Chinese.
Chopsticks = Chinese.
Hell = Chinese school. Oh Geebuz, those were some bad, bad memories.
The only dish I would associate with Malaysia would be one of my all time favourite foods- Satay chicken, or more preciously, the satay sauce. Every time we’d go out to eat (which would 90% of the time be at a Malaysian restaurant), satays were compulsory and an extra TWO servings of satay sauce were non negotiable.
Why two EXTRA?
The first one was used for it’s purposes. To dip the satay chicken skewers in.
The other two? One for me and one for Niki…..to eat by the spoon.
I kid you not, this would be standard and it killed my mum a little inside. It was also perhaps one of the perks of birthing two mixed children- She could claim we were adopted and get away with it.
Whilst our behaviours have become more civilised when dining out, our love for this delicious sauce hasn’t wavered and to this day, whenever we go out or get take away Malaysian food- The non negotiable two extra servings of satay sauce is always there (Although many of our local choices have cottoned on..they now charge!).
A few years ago, Niki and I realised that the amount of money we were spending on the sauce alone could have bought a small island off Malaysia so we did (what we thought at the time), smart people would do.
No, we didn’t make our own.
We went to the Asian supermarkets and bought pre made tubs of it!
Genius? So we thought.
1 Jar of satay sauce = 10 servings of restaurant extras.
As you can imagine, we both overdosed on it now that we didn’t need to order Malaysian takeout to get our fix. As the saying goes, too much of anything can be a bad thing and 4 jars and 1 month later- We were satay sauced out.
A few weeks ago, I was perusing the Asian supermarket trying to find sriracha because our local food store stopped selling it for some absurd reason. I saw the jars of satay sauce we used to buy and a craving was sparked. Before chucking it in my trolley, I glanced at the ingredients and was both shocked and embarrassed.
Besides the first two ingredients being two forms of sugar followed closely by MSG- This ‘peanut sauce’ product didn’t even contain PEANUTS.
PEANUT SAUCE WITHOUT PEANUTS.
I don’t even want to think of what chemicals they used to create something which tasted like that.
I knew unicorns weren’t make belief.
I knew I had to create my own and what better way than to pair it with it’s best partner (chicken) and spruce up an old school classic. Chicken salad sandwiches are one of my favourite things, mainly because of the mayonnaise and salt. This version subs both with this delicious, easy and healthy homemade satay sauce- One which actually contains peanuts.
This healthy Satay Chicken Salad is a flavour explosion with hints of sweet, salty and spicy in one. It’s the perfect sandwich filling or hearty salad topping or even eaten on it’s own. It’s gluten free, high protein and healthy fats from the nut butter. It’s much lower in sodium that store bought or take out brands and comes without the preservatives and unicorns. For those whom have peanut allergies or follow a paleo lifestyle- I’ve tried this out with tahini AND almond butter and both have worked out really well!
Make this Healthy Satay Chicken Salad and be thankful you never shared meal times with me and my sister.
We’re all class.
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Healthy Satay Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon peanut butter sub for tahini or almond butter if strictly paleo/allergy friendly
- 2 tablespoon chilli sauce of choice I used a sweet chilli blend
- 1 tablespoon liquid aminos Can substitute for GF soy sauce
- 1- 2 tablespoon chopped peanuts optional
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon coconut palm sugar can sub for any sweetener of choice
- 1- 2 tablespoon coconut or dairy free milk of choice
- 1-2 cups shredded chicken*
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, chilli sauce, liquid aminos, red pepper flakes and coconut palm sugar and mix very well until the peanut butter has been relatively thinned out. ad the chopped peanuts if using it.
- Using a tablespoon, add the coconut milk until a thick sauce has formed to desired consistency (I like a thinner sauce so used more).
- Pour the sauce over the shredded chicken and mix well until chicken is fully coated. Use the mixture in a sandwich, over a salad or any other way you like!
Notes
ground chicken burgers(Paleo, Gluten Free, Low Carb)
Healthy One Pot Couscous Paella (Gluten Free)
Stovetop Pulled Tandoori Chicken (Paleo, Gluten Free)
The Best Chicken Patties (Paleo, Gluten Free)
Paleo Burger King Chicken Nuggets (Paleo, Gluten Free)
Linking up with my friend Linda and her crew for Gluten Free Wednesdays
What was your typical take away or restaurant cuisine growing up?
Did you have any strange foodie habits as a kid?
What is your favourite kind of sandwich?
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Chinese food was always the preferred takeout (omg I loved boneless spareribs when I wasn’t a vegetarian) and on Christmas, the Chinese restaurants were where it was at for all us Jews because it was the only restaurant open for business 🙂
YES!!! Omg, I was in NYC for Christmas and was stoked that they were all open! Best. Ever.
Lol you and Niki make a great pair. I’m alllll about chicken salad all day every day. This looks fab.
Thanks budddddddddddy.
Check out today’s post. Niki is in so much trouble.
I ate pretty much everything as a kid. I loved things like liver, kidney and heart, but the thought on that now makes me want to throw up.
But this sandwich, this makes me hungry again.
Thanks Dannii! It’s delicious!
Chicken Satay is basically best friends with my face. I mean peanut butter and PROTEINZ? GIMME ALL OF IT.
Now, make me a sandwich and we can stay friend mmkay? 🙂 Pinned!
Excuse me but I thought tandoori chicken was your best friend. Scrap that, I thought I was your best friend.
This looks delectable! I can’t wait to try it!
When I was a kid, I was a healthy eater… But when I was pregnant, that’s when I had my strangest cravings. I remember sitting in front of the TV, eating beef and cheese fried taquitos, drinking hot chocolate, and it was 9am. That was probably the best thing I ever ate, though the idea gags me out now.
Thanks so much Jerusha (Ps- No joke, you have the coolest name ever)
This is awkward but that sounds delicious. Can guys get pregnant? 😉
I tried the peanut sauce without peanuts things a while back and I’m not that good at it! I’ll have to try this with your almond butter option, looks so good!
Please do- It’s really good, or tahini! 🙂
I love chicken satay!
Strange food habit as a kid: When I was a kid, I hated sauce on my pizza, so I would take my slice, put it upside down on a paper towel, and squish all of the sauce out… It was pretty gross. My parents were afraid to take me out for pizza in public. Now, I love sauce on my pizza!!
Haha, sauce is the best part…as long as it’s a rich marinara!
Oh man, sandwiches are an entire food category around our house. I love ’em! And I’ve been craving chicken salad lately…I think it’s because it’s finally warming up here. (Get ready!) I’ve never had a satay chicken salad, but I’m totally intrigued. (Although probably not as intrigued as you were when you made the mistake of reading the ingredients on a packaged sauce in an Asian market!) Growing up, the strangest thing I did was nibble the edges off of hamburgers. All the way around. The way I saw it, the best part was all of the stuff inside…so let’s get rid of the boring outside first. I’m sure my parents were so incredibly proud of me.
Haha, I am so proud of you for that- I had a friend who’d order big macs and take off the sesame seeds ONE seed at a time.
We should go to Katz deli- I still salivate over their sandwiches!
So you and yo sis will eat the sauce by the spoonful, but I’m thinking I’d eat this salad by the spoonful. I LOVE bread, but I really want to just carry a huge tub of this to school and call it lunch. Or snack. Or “just because I want to”.
And PB&J stills reigns as my favorite sammich! That was my lunch EVERY SINGLE DAY all four years of high school and I’m still not sick of it. I could totally survive another depression or potato famine.
YES. So, I’ve totally done that before and have no shame at all 😉
Oooo Malaysian food! I wouldn’t know what Malaysian food is so thanks haha. Satay chicken has been a favorite of my brother’s and mine ever since we were little too. We were little kids who didn’t necessarily like Asian food but my parents would take us out anyway so that’s what we’d always get. It’s so good! Oh my gosh EW no peanuts in that tub? That’s disgusting. That should be a crime haha. I’ve actually always wanted to recreate it so I’ll keep this in mind! Thanks!
Hahahaha you’re welcome. I’ll cook you some!
Hope the cheese is finite 😉
Ooh, peanut butter chicken! Sounds like my kind of meal!
It’s so good, Cassie!
That’s a sandwich! Great recipe, Arman, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for your kind words, Cecilia!
Peanut sauce without peanuts? I don’t even understand how that is a thing.
My favorite sandwich is super specific, because it comes from a local sandwich shop that makes everything perfectly: Roast beef and havarti on french bread with their special “house dressing”. It’s the greatest sandwich ever.
Walden Warms. I tried it in America and nearly died!
….That sounds delicious and I recall you mentioning it!
Oh, holy hell. Chinese school. My brother and I used to have to go to that, and…we started skipping class to go on “wilderness survival expeditions” (aka exploring/hiking the back fields/forests/hills where Chinese school was).
Let’s just say that it really didn’t end well for us when my parents found out. :'(
What the eff is this peanut sauce without peanuts!? How can that be!? :'( That’s wildly depressing, but you’re awesome for coming up with this! I think i actually have everything I need to make it! <3 (Other than peanuts, ahahaha. But at least that's optional!)
Hahahaha I had to BEG to leave Chinese school…it was actual hell!
Thanks Farrah!
Pinned pinned pinned! Now I just need to get to NJ so I can use my slow cooker and shred some damn chicken!
I picture you with a slow cooker in your dorm making your dorm mate jealous 😉 Oh and setting off the fire alarm!