Coconut Poached Thai Chicken Salad

Coconut Poached Thai Chicken Salad with baby spinach, spring herbs and scallions.
A flavorful, paleo approved entree salad.

Spirituality has nothing to do with the atmosphere you live in.
It’s about the atmosphere you create within yourself. ~ Sadhguru~

Spring has sprung and with it come the tenderest baby greens imaginable. In this paleo-approved Thai Chicken Salad, the chicken breast is gently poached in a flavorful coconut broth. Once cooled, the poached chicken is gently pulled apart and tossed with baby spinach and three different herbs – basil, mint and cilantro which gives this its incredible flavor. From here you can add other veggies like thinly sliced radishes, Turkish cucumbers, carrot ribbons and green onions. Top the salad with something crunchy or crispy- roasted peanuts or crispy shallots. It’s a lovely entrée salad, perfect for spring and summer.

On the home front: we are still on our west coast road trip, almost to our southernmost point. Currently we are perched high up in the hills of Los Angeles, the city that I grew up in.

One of the best things about this area, aside from the ethnically diverse, delicious food, is all the incredible produce at local farmers markets. I’ve been in heaven. A million kinds of citrus, tender spring greens, crazy unusual mushrooms, gorgeous colorful beets and carrots. And Artichokes! Oh! And my favorite…..  strawberries! Incredible. The diversity here is beautiful and astounding.  On so many levels.

Give this Coconut Poached Thai Chicken Salad a try…. I know you’ll love the flavor!

For more Thai – inspired dishes take a peek at these 10 Warming Thai Recipes.

Or my favorite…. Thai Noodle Salad! Always a hit!

Coconut Poached Thai Chicken Salad with Spring Herbs

Coconut Poached Thai Chicken Salad with baby spinach, spring herbs and scallions. A flavorful Thai-inspired Entree Salad. Paleo approved.

 

 

• Author: Sylvia Fountaine
• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 20
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 2
• Category: Entree Salad
• Method: poach
• Cuisine: Thai

Ingredients

• 1  14 ounce can coconut milk
• 1 lime (divided)
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
• 3 kefir lime leaves- optional
• 2  4-6 ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts ( or one 8 ounce breast, cut in half)

Spinach Spring Herb Salad

• 2 large handfuls baby spinach ( about 4 ounces)
• 1 small Turkish cucumber
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced at a diaganol
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup torn mint leaves
• 1/4 cup torn basil leaves (Thai basil is nice)

Optional additions: avocado slices, thinly sliced jalapeno, flaked coconut, sliced radishes, snap peas, store bought crispy shallots, roasted peanuts.

Instructions

Place the coconut milk,  juice from half a small lime, salt, fish sauce and optional kefir lime leaves in a sauce pan and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.

Add the chicken breast, cover, and simmer gently for 15 minutes or until chicken pulls apart easily with two forks. Let cool.

Place salad ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and toss gently to combine. Set aside.

Once chicken is cooked, using two forks shred the chicken into bite size pieces and set aside. Let the cooking liquid cool to room temp, about 10 minutes.

Add the chicken to the salad bowl and spoon some the cooled flavorful coconut broth over the salad,  toss gently just enough to lightly coat the leaves. Divide among two large plates and garnish with lime wedges & crispy shallots and any other additional garnishes.

Serve immediately.

You can also make this ahead, keeping the dressing on the side (which will need to be warmed to room temp).