This delicious Satay Chicken Salad will soon become one of your favourite slimming recipes! Absolutely packed with flavour, it’s perfect as a light lunch or served in crunchy lettuce boats to share as an appetiser.
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January 12 is apparently ‘quitter’s day’ – the day when most people will abandon their new year’s resolutions. Hard to say if this is actually true, of course. I am glad to say I have sailed past this deadline with my motivation still intact however!
I am talking about the decision to join Slimming World and become committed in eating more healthily in 2019. It’s only been a week since I joined and so far I have enjoyed creating recipes using Slimming World “free foods”.
Food Optimising has been a welcome challenge when creating new recipes, and I think Light Satay Chicken Salad is one of my slimming lunch winners! The dish is based on one of Joe Wicks recipes for Gousto which I had a chance to review recently.
Lots of fellow members in my Slimming World Group were asking about SW lunch ideas – it can be difficult to keep to the eating plan when hunger strikes at the office! I hope you will try this and some of my other Slimming World recipes – check out the archive here!
WHAT IS SATAY?
Satay or sate (in Indonesia where it is the national dish), is a seasoned, skewered and grilled meat, served with a sauce.
The sauce is usually made with peanuts and soy sauce – in fact a lot of people refer to peanut sauce as ‘satay’ sauce.
Satay dipping sauce is not particularly diet-friendly as it contains quite a lot of peanut butter or grounded roasted peanuts and oil.
I have limited the peanut butter to one tablespoon to create a satay sauce that’s slimming-friendly.
You can also use powdered peanut butter to reduce the calories in this satay sauce. This powder needs to be mixed with hot water and stirred until it is smooth to use in place of peanut butter.
Slimming Chicken Salad
Here’s what you will need to make this healthy salad recipe. It’s mostly made with low calorie ingredients and there’s 7 Weight Watchers SmartPoints per serving.
FOR THE SALAD
- Mini chicken breasts (chicken tenders) or you can use turkey breasts
- Gem lettuce or romaine lettuce
- Carrot
- Fresh coriander (cilantro) and mint
- Low Calorie cooking spray (such as Fry Light) or a little vegetable oil
- A light sprinkling of sesame seeds. Sesame seeds hide a lot of syns – 6 in two level tablespoons – add sparingly.
SATAY DIPPING SAUCE
- Crunchy peanut butter (4.5 syns) or use powdered peanut butter for 2.5 syns
- Soy sauce (I use reduced salt Kikkoman) or use Tamari for a gluten free option
- Minced garlic
- Freshly grated ginger
- Juice of 1 lime
- Chilli paste (or you could use hot sauce or Sriracha) is very low in Syns and I have only used 1 teaspoon
- Sweetener (I used Sukrin Gold)
- A little hot water to dilute the sauce
PICKLED ONIONS
- Red onion, very finely sliced, ideally using a mandoline
- Red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp sweetener (I used Sukrin Gold) or sugar
SATAY CHICKEN SALAD STEP BY STEP
Step 1. Start by making the pickled onions (these are optional). Mix the vinegar and sweetener in a clean jar and add one very finely sliced red onion. I used a mandoline to get the onion slices really thin. Set aside while you make the salad.
Step 2. Put all the ingredients for the dipping sauce into a bowl and mix together until smooth. If using powdered peanut butter then mix with water first according to pack instructions.
Step 3. Heat a non stick frying pan and add a couple of Fry Light sprays or a little vegetable oil. Pan fry the chicken breasts over high heat until they start to colour. Reduce the heat and add a splash of water or a little stock, cover the pan and leave them to cook for 5-6 minutes or until cooked through.
Step 4. Shred the chicken using two forks and put into a bowl. Add the lettuce, carrot and herbs and mix together. Add the sauce and toss to combine. Enjoy!
SATAY CHICKEN SALAD TIPS AND FAQs
- To make this chicken salad stretch further add 100g (3 1/2 oz) dried soba noodles, cooked for 5 minutes then drained and cooled. You can use 100% buckwheat noodles for a gluten free version.
- You can also use leftover roast chicken or shredded rotisserie chicken.
- This salad makes an excellent lunch or light dinner. Alternatively you can serve in lettuce leaves ‘boats’ as a shared appetizer with the pickled onions on the side.
- Make ahead: Mix a double batch of the satay sauce and keep in the fridge in a sealed jar for up to a week. It’s great for livening up salads or you can use as a dipping sauce with grilled chicken.
- How long will the salad keep? The salad will keep for up to two days in the fridge but the lettuce leaves will soften in dressing. I love to make a batch and eat the leftovers the following day.
- How long do pickled red onions last? Make a big batch of the pickled onions and store in the fridge in a sealed jar. They will keep for up to two weeks but I prefer to use them within 7 days.
- Replace the soy sauce with Gluten–Free Tamari if preferred.
LOOKING FOR MORE SLIMMING WORLD RECIPES? Browse all my delicious syn-free or low-syn recipes HERE.
JOIN MY SLIMMING RECIPES GROUP I have created a dedicated Facebook group for slimming recipe ideas, tips and support. Would love to see you there!
HAVE YOU MADE MY SATAY CHICKEN SALAD? Post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes. I can’t wait to see your take on it!
Satay Chicken Salad | Slimming Friendly
Ingredients
FOR THE SALAD
- 450 g | 1 pound mini chicken breasts
- 1 gem lettuce (or half a romaine lettuce)
- 1 carrot , grated
- 1 tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh mint , chopped
- Fry light to fry the chicken or a little vegetable oil
- 1 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
- Extra gem lettuce if serving as an appetiser
SATAY DIPPING SAUCE
- 1 tbsp crunchy peanut butter or 2 tbsp powdered peanut butter (see notes)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce or Gluten–Free Tamari
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 tsp chilli paste (or hot sauce such as Sriracha)
- 2 tsp granulated sweetener or brown sugar
- 4 tbsp boiling water to dilute the sauce
PICKLED ONIONS
- 1 red onion , very finely sliced
- 4 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp granulated sweetener or sugar
Instructions
- Start by making the pickled onions (these are optional). Mix the vinegar and sweetener in a clean jar and add one very finely sliced red onion. I used a mandoline to get the onion slices really thin. Set aside while you make the salad.
- Put all the ingredients for the dipping sauce into a bowl and mix together until smooth.
- Heat a non stick frying pan and add a couple of Fry Light sprays or a little vegetable oil. Pan fry the chicken breasts over high heat, on both sides, until nicely coloured.
- Reduce the heat and add a splash of water or a little stock, cover the pan and leave them to cook for 5-6 minutes or until cooked through.
- Shred the chicken using two forks and put into a bowl.
- Add the lettuce, carrot and herbs and mix together. Add the sauce and toss to combine.
- Sprinkle with the sesame seeds, if using.
- Serve as a lunch / light dinner or serve in lettuce leaves as a shared appetizer with the pickled onions on the side.
Notes
- To make the salad stretch further add 100g (3 1/2 oz) soba noodles, cooked for 5 minutes then drained.
- If you can’t find Fry Light then heat 1 tsp vegetable oil then wipe the pan until almost all the oil is gone.
- You can also use powdered peanut butter to reduce the calories in this satay sauce.
Please note I am not affiliated in any way with Slimming World or Weight Watchers.
Those plans are often updated in line with latest nutritional guidance and may change so for accurate information it is best to join as a member.
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Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
Nutritional Info
Please note I am not affiliated in any way with Slimming World or Weight Watchers. These weight loss plans are often updated in line with latest nutritional guidance and may change so for accurate information it is best to join as a member.
Ann says
Would PB2 or similar powdered work as a peanut butter substitute? 85% of the fat and oil have been removed so there are only 60 calories per 2 tablespoons. It is not chunky but a small amount of chopped peanuts could be added as a garnish.I may try it soon.
Lucy Parissi says
Hi Ann, it may well do but I haven’t tried it personally. Let me know if you do!
Tara says
Extra coriander for me — looks amazing!
Cliona Keane says
This is beyond gorgeous and I love that it’s Slimming World friendly! Pinned for later!
Mike Hultquist says
I know this is a lighter version, but it still have great flavor. The pickled onions adds an extra flavor pop. Delicious.
Traci says
How easy, fun, gorgeous, healthy, and delicious…I could go on and on about this one! We love to make this style of salad…thanks for the inspiration 🙂
Corina Blum says
It sounds delicious and looks really light and fresh too! I always think peanut sauces are so comforting so recipes like this definitely make it easier to stick to new year diets!