Spicy Chicken Salad with Snow Peas, Cucumber, Red Bell Pepper, and Thai Basil

On Friday nights I have kind of a routine of stopping at Costco, where I often pick up rotisserie chicken, sometimes one for my dad and stepmother and one for myself. If you live where there's a Costco, have you tried the rotisserie chicken? It's without a doubt the best rotisserie chicken I've tasted, probably even including my own. And Costco is not paying me to say this!

Since I've indulged this rotisserie chicken fondness quite a few times, I've tried variations of things to make from the leftover chicken. One of my favorites for a while now has been the Chicken Salad with Fresh Tarragon and Peas that I've been perennially raving about. I've tried a few versions of Asian chicken salads too, but this latest one really got my attention. What really made this recipe a keeper for me was the Thai Curry Paste in the dressing, plus Thai Basil, something I have a huge surplus of right now! This salad was so good, I wished I'd had more leftover chicken so I could make it again right away. I guess it's time to pick up another chicken from Costco!

Leftover Chicken Salad with Snow Peas, Cucumbers, Red Bell Pepper, and Thai Basil
(Makes 3-4 salads, recipe created by Kalyn with inspiration from many chicken salad recipes.)

Ingredients for each salad:
1 cup leftover chicken, shredded or chopped into bite-size pieces
1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
1 cucumber, chopped
1/2 cup snow peas, each sliced into 3-4 pieces
1/4 cup slivered red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped Thai basil (or you could use cilantro, mint, or regular basil)
1 T chopped peanuts
salt to taste

Dressing Ingredients:
1/4 cup peanut oil
2 T rice vinegar (not seasoned rice vinegar, which contains sugar)
2 T soy sauce (I use Kikkoman)
1 tsp. Splenda or Agave nectar (or use a slightly larger amount of sugar)
1/2 tsp. Asian sesame oil
1/2 tsp. ground ginger or ginger puree (can also use finely grated fresh ginger)
2 T peanut butter
1/2 tsp. Thai red curry paste (or use your favorite hot sauce)

Instructions:

Combine dressing ingredients in food processor, mini-processor or blender and mix until well combined. Taste to see if you want to add more sweetness or hotness.

Before you start chopping salad veggies, for each salad you're making combine 1 cup chicken with 1-2 tablespoon dressing and let chicken soak in the dressing while you chop other ingredients. Chop lettuce, cucumber, snow peas, red pepper and basil and combine. Toss vegetable and herb mixture with 1-2 tablespoons more dressing and then gently mix in chicken mixture. Serve topped with chopped peanuts and additional Thai basil if desired.



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South Beach Suggestions:

Made with Splenda or Agave nectar this is perfect for any phase of the South Beach Diet. (Agave nectar does contain fructose, the same sweetener in fruit, but since the dressing only contains one teaspoon, I don't think it's significant.)

Some Tasty Salads I've made with Leftover Chicken:
Southwest Chicken Salad
Kalyn and Mimi's Chicken Salad with Mustard and Cashews
Vietnamese Cabbage Salad with Chicken and Cilantro
Leftover Chicken Pesto Salad
Cilantro-Lover's Leftover Chicken Salad

More Chicken Salads I'd Love to Try:
(Recipes from other blogs may or may not be South Beach Diet friendly, check ingredients)
Chicken Salad from Simply Recipes
Light and Tasty Asian Chicken Salad from Je Mange la Ville
Zuni Cafe Roast Chicken Salad from What Did You Eat
Apple Pecan Chicken Salad with Blue Cheese and Rosemary from Coffee and Cornbread
Chicken Salad with Halloumi and Avocado from Anne's Food