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If you’re looking for a fresh, colorful meal that’s packed with crunch and flavor, this Sweet Thai Chicken Slaw is one you’ll come back to again and again. Made with crisp cabbage, shredded chicken, crunchy vegetables, fresh herbs, and tossed in a Thai-inspired dressing, it’s satisfying enough for lunch or dinner while still feeling light and refreshing.
Whether you’re serving it as a quick weeknight dinner, packing it for lunches, or bringing it to a summer gathering, this healthy Thai chicken slaw is always a crowd favorite.
Why You’ll Love This Salad
One of my favorite things about this salad is how well all of the flavors and textures work together. The cabbage and carrots stay crisp, the chicken adds plenty of protein, fresh cilantro and mint brighten every bite, and the dressing ties everything together with a balance of sweet, savory, and a little tangy.
It’s also one of those recipes that’s perfect for meal prep. Unlike traditional lettuce salads that wilt after a day, cabbage holds up beautifully, making this an excellent make-ahead lunch for busy weeks. Simply toss everything together when you’re ready to eat, or keep the dressing separate if you’re prepping several days in advance.
This Thai-inspired chicken slaw truly checks all the boxes for an easy, flavorful meal.
- Packed with fresh flavor.
- High in protein.
- Perfect for meal prep.
- Naturally gluten-free.
- Ready in about 30 minutes.
- Easy to customize.
- Great for entertaining.
Ingredients Needed
The beauty of this recipe is that it relies on simple, fresh ingredients that come together to create incredible flavor. *Scroll to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and directions.
- Cooked Shredded Chicken: Rotisserie chicken is my favorite shortcut, but any cooked chicken breasts or thighs work well.
- Green Cabbage: Adds plenty of crunch and forms the salad’s hearty base.
- Purple Cabbage: Provides beautiful color and another layer of crisp texture.
- Green Onions: Mild onion flavor that complements the dressing.
- Sesame Oil: Adds a rich, nutty, and slightly smoky flavor to the dish.
- Slivered Almonds: Adds the perfect, extra crunch.
- Sesame Seeds: A great little seedy contrast.
- Raisins: Add concentrated natural sweetness, chewy texture, and a little extra moisture to dishes.
- Rice wine vinegar: Adds depth and a subtle, mellow sweetness.
- Olive oil or avocado oil: Used in the dressing.
- Coconut aminos: Adds a rich, savory umami depth and a subtle, natural sweetness
- Coconut sugar: Adds a rich, caramel-like sweetness with subtle hints of molasses
Substitutions & Variations
One of the best things about this recipe is how easy it is to adapt based on what you have on hand.
Use a different protein
- Grilled chicken
- Leftover grilled steak
- Shrimp
- Salmon
Add more vegetables
- Snap peas
- Shelled edamame
- Thinly sliced cucumbers
- Shredded Brussels sprouts
How to Make Sweet Thai Chicken Slaw
- Toast the sesame seeds and almonds: In a small pan, toast them until lightly golden.
- Combine chicken and veggies: In a large bowl, add purple cabbage, green cabbage, green onions, shredded chicken, and raisins. Toss together until combined.
- Mix dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sesame oil, olive oil, coconut aminos, and coconut sugar.
- Mix all together: Pour the dressing over the cabbage and chicken, mix well.
- Top it: Sprinkle the toasted almonds and sesame seeds over the salad and serve!
Lexi’s Pro Tip
Want to make this super easy? If you really, really wanted to make this even easier? Grab a bag of coleslaw mix at the store and swap 4 cups of it for the green cabbage. Even easier than that? Grab a rotisserie chicken while you are at it and shred that to add in.
Storage Instructions
One of the reasons I love this recipe is that it holds up much better than a traditional green salad, making it perfect for leftovers and meal prep.
Refrigerator: Store leftover Sweet Thai Chicken Slaw in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
If you’re making it ahead for lunches, I recommend storing the dressing separately and tossing everything together just before serving. This keeps the cabbage extra crisp and the herbs fresh.
Meal Prep – for easy grab-and-go lunches:
- Shred and chop all of the vegetables.
- Cook or shred the chicken.
- Whisk together the dressing.
- Store each component separately in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Assemble individual portions as needed throughout the week.
FAQ’s
I don’t recommend freezing this recipe. Fresh cabbage, herbs, and the peanut dressing all lose their texture after thawing, and the salad won’t have the same crisp bite.
Absolutely. Rotisserie chicken is one of my favorite shortcuts for this recipe because it’s flavorful, tender, and makes the salad come together in just about 30 minutes.
Yes! This recipe is ideal for meal prep. Since cabbage is much sturdier than lettuce, it stays crisp for days. For the best texture, keep the dressing separate until you’re ready to serve.
Yes! A bag of coleslaw mix is a great shortcut and works beautifully in this recipe. You can also use broccoli slaw or a combination of both for even more texture. Overall a great substitution.
Yes! But we obviously love it with it in, or else we wouldn’t have included it in the recipe. Without the chicken it could make a great side dish.
If you like this slaw recipe, check out these others:
Sweet & Crunchy Thai Slaw with Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon plus 1/4 cup sesame oil divided
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1/4 of a purple cabbage about 2 cups, cored sliced thin
- 1/2 of a green cabbage about 4 cups, cored and sliced thin (see note)
- 2 green onions sliced
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken check out this post
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
Instructions
- In a small pan, heat 1 teaspoon sesame oil over medium heat. Once hot, add sesame seeds and almonds and toast until lightly golden. Remove from heat immediately and set aside.
- In a large bowl add purple cabbage, green cabbage, green onions, shredded chicken and raisins. Toss together until combined.
- In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, 1/4 cup sesame oil, olive oil, coconut aminos and coconut sugar. Pour over the cabbage and chicken and mix well.
- Sprinkle the toasted almonds and sesame seeds on top of the salad and serve!
Hi! I’m really excited to make the Thai chicken slaw. However , any ideas to make it less sugar content for the dressing?
you can simply reduce, it’ll still be good – just a bit less sweet.
This was DELICIOUS. Tweaked based on what I had on hand/personal dietary preferences swapping out low sodium soya sauce in place of coconut aminos, used Stevia in the Raw in place of the coconut sugar (6 packets = 1/4 cup sugar), dropped the raisons (not a fan), and used coleslaw mix (copping cabbage, also not a fan). I will definitely make this again!
LOVE IT.
I made this for tonight’s dinner and it is delicious. My husband kept going back for more.
So glad!
This is SO good! Thank you!
In the ingredients “sesame oil” is listed twice (one does state “divided”), and in step 3 it says to add the sesame oil. Do I add 1/4 cup (from the divided part) or 1/2 cup (to account for both listed ingredients)? I can’t wait to try this! It looks deal delicious!
Hi Lorinda! Thanks for catching that! It’s updated!
Many thanks, this site is really handy
Lexi, this is AMAZING!!!!!! I’m obsessed. Making it again ASAP
SO happy you liked it! One of my favorite summer sides 🙂
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to make this for my daughter this weekend who has been diagnosed with gluten issues so we’re being as clean as possible. Thank you Diana!!
I can NOT wait to try this!! It looks incredible!!
Tonight I made you cauliflower fried rice!! Its amazing!!
You are by far my favorite blogger and chef 🙂
Thank you for posting these!
Thank you so much Diana! Enjoy 🙂
Looks so cool and refreshing! Pinned and Stumbled
This looks AMAZING, Lexi! I have a soft spot for salads with this flavor since I was such a sucker for those sweet-and-tangy Asian inspired chicken ramen salads as a kid. Love this cleaned up version! Thanks so much for potluckin’ with us. <3
This looks amazing! Very Yummy!