Let’s Make Low FODMAP Asian Chicken Salad
We love hearty salads that are filling enough for a meal and this Low FODMAP Asian Chicken Salad is just that kind of dish.
Shredded cabbage, carrots, red bell pepper and cucumber are tossed with shredded, cooked chicken, crunchy peanuts and cilantro, and a rich creamy peanut butter-based dressing.
Pack A Low FODMAP Lunch
Leftovers of our Low FODMAP Asian Chicken Salad make a perfect lunch to take to work or school.
Peanut Butter Goes Savory
We love peanut butter, in cookies, muffins, energy balls and in savory recipes. Our Garlicky Peanut Sauce is fantastic on noodles and all sorts of proteins. This sauce is more of a fusion-style Asian dressing combining fish sauce in addition to soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar and hot pepper sauce.
The dressing component calls for Garlic-Infused Oil for a garlicky kick. Make sure yours is based on vegetable oil and not olive oil.
Most commercially available garlic-infused oils are based on olive oil. You can make your own vegetable oil based, using our easy recipe, or use Tourangelle, which we love.
Rotisserie Chicken, Poached Chicken, Roast Chicken – We Love Chicken!
This recipe calls for shredded cooked chicken. You can use white meat or dark meat, or a combo. You can use some from our Whole Roasted Chicken, or simply poach boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs in water seasoned with salt, a few peppercorns and a bay leaf.
If you have time, throw in a few pieces of chopped carrot and celery for flavor, if you have them around.
Costco as well as Whole Foods have plain rotisserie chicken available that is low FODMAP. Perhaps your local supermarket does too? Ask!
Low FODMAP Asian Chicken Salad
Think chicken salad is boring? Try this flavor-packed Low FODMAP Asian Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
Peanut Butter Dressing:
- 6 tablespoons (102 g) peanut butter, either natural or no-stir style
- 3 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium gluten-free soy sauce
- 11/2 tablespoons fish sauce, such as Red Boat brand
- 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Garlic-Infused Oil, made with vegetable oil or purchased equivalent
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon sambal oelek or low FODMAP hot sauce such as Tabasco, or more to taste
- Water, if needed
Chicken Salad:
- 1- pound (455 g) shredded cooked chicken warm or at room temperature
- 4 cups (356 g) finely shredded green cabbage
- 2 medium carrots, trimmed and grated
- 1 red bell pepper, cored and finely sliced
- 2 Persian cucumbers, ends trimmed, cut into large julienne
- 1/2 cup (16 g) chopped fresh cilantro, divided
- 1/2 cup (80 g) chopped roasted peanuts, divided
- 1/2 cup (32 g) chopped scallions, green parts only, divided
Preparation:
-
For the Peanut Butter Dressing: Combine peanut butter, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, oil and hot sauce in a blender and blend until smooth and combined. Scrape down blender as needed. Taste and add more hot sauce if desired. If you use natural peanut butter and the mixture is a bit thick, blend in a tablespoon or two of water. You want a flowable texture. The dressing can be made a day ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container.
-
For Chicken Salad Assembly: In a large mixing bowl, toss together the chicken, cabbage, carrot, bell pepper, cucumbers of the cilantro, half the peanuts and half of the scallions (you can do this by eye). Add some of the dressing and toss to coat. Only add enough dressing to lightly coat the salad ingredients. You might not need all of the sauce. Serve garnished with remaining cilantro, peanuts and scallions. Salad may be serve with the chicken slightly warm, or everything at room temperature.
-
Salad may be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving. It is best if you can garnish with the scallions, peanuts and cilantro right before serving. Or even better, if you know you want to make way ahead, keep salad and dressing separate until close to serving time (and those garnishes, too!)
Notes:
Tips
- Like so many dishes that need cooked chicken, you could make things super simple and buy a rotisserie chicken. Many are low FODMAP (even the ones at Costco). Just always buy the “plain” style and read labels. You might even be able to find a low FODMAP rotisserie chicken at your local supermarket.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more. For a more detailed explanation, please read our article Understanding The Nutrition Panel Within Our Recipes.
For more chicken recipes, check out our article, 10 Gut Friendly Chicken Recipes You Can Have On Your Table Tonight!
I’m sure it’s just a metadata error, but this recipe comes up when I check the vegetarian diet search filter.
You are correct! All fixed.
I’m wondering why the garlic-infused oil needs to be made with vegetable and not olive oil? Is it just because the flavor of veg oil is much milder and works better for this specific recipe? Or is there a FODMAP-related reason?
Hi Cathy! Thank you for reading the recipe so closely. It is this kind of attention to detail and nuance that will help you follow the diet very well – AND be able to cook and bake with fabulous results. It is a matter of flavor. You can read more in my article, Not All Garlic-Infused OilIS Created Equal. It is one of my pet peeves that it is so easy to find olive oil based garlic-infused oil on the shelves, yet not as easy to find vegetable oil based. For my Mexican, Tex-Mex, Indian and Asian food (such as this) I did not want the pronounced flavor of olive oil. For me, even a lighter olive oil does not belong here. It is not a FODMAP issue. FODMAPs are carbohydrates. ALL oils are low FODMAPn (as are all proteins). We of course have a recipe for infused oil and you can make your own. For purchased garlic-infused in a vegetable oil based I like Tourangelle.
I’m happy to see here that Costco rotisserie chickens are low FODMAP – that’s wonderful to know! I had been avoiding them because I didn’t know what the ingredient “spice extractives” could refer to. Is this something FODMAP Everyday looked into?
Whenever there is a question, we do contact manufacturers and sellers. This article might be of interest to you. In the US, garlic cannot be hidden within “spices” but it can be within flavorings. It varies country to country, which the article lays out. Many “plain” rotisserie chickens are okay. Ours at Whole Foods are, too and on sale are not too $$.
That article is incredibly helpful; thank you! We enjoyed this recipe very much last night, it was delicious. The portion sizes were a little small for us for a dinner salad, so I divided it into 5 instead of 8 servings. As best as I can tell, the cabbage is the ingredient that would limit serving sizes here. It seemed to me like 5 servings is okay but probably the the largest portion size that would be wise with this recipe, do you agree?
Hi there! The portions that are “correct” are the ones that you tolerate well. I, too, can eat a larger portion of this recipe. Yes, the cabbage and peanuts and peanut butter are the key things to keep an eye on from a FODMAP perspective. Also, hot sauce will not agree with everyone.
Excellent recipe, love it. I use mint vs cilantro just ’cause I prefer it. A great salad in rotation at my place all the time. Thanks!
Cilantro can be an issue for many! Great swap.