Allergy-friendly Thai Chopped Salad

FAQ ON HOW TO MAKE THIS ALLERGY FRIENDLY THAI CHOPPED SALAD:

CAN I USE DIFFERENT VEGETABLES? Feel free to add additional vegetables to help you clean out your fridge–mushrooms, other colors of bell peppers, cucumbers, bean sprouts–they’d all be delicious!

CAN I USE DIFFERENT GREENS? Yes. I’ve done it with all spinach, I’ve done it with a spring salad mix that’s 50% mix and 50% spinach. I’ve added in leftover cabbage, and everything in between. Use what type of greens you prefer. When you have so many toppings and such a unique dressing, the bed of greens doesn’t matter much.

IF I’M NOT ALLERGIC TO NUTS, CAN I USE THOSE? Absolutely. I love crunch in a salad, so I always sub out nuts with sunflower seeds. If you can do nuts, feel free to toss your favorite kind in. If you cannot do sunflower seeds, these can be omitted altogether without ruining the salad.

IF I’M ALLERGIC TO SOY, WHAT CAN I USE IN PLACE OF THE SOY SAUCE? You can use coconut aminos–it’s my favorite soy sauce substitute.

DOES SOY SAUCE HAVE GLUTEN IN IT? Yes! Many do. Make sure you get a gluten-free brand. I prefer La Choy.

CAN I USE ROTISSERIE CHICKEN? OR, EVEN OMIT IT ALTOGETHER?

Yes! We have found that the Costco rotisserie chickens work for our food allergies. (We’re wheat/gluten, dairy, egg, peanut, tree nut, oat, beef and goats milk free–check with your local Costco to make sure their recipe is the same.) It’s great to have a pre-cooked chicken to throw into this salad to make it an entrée salad.

If you don’t have a rotisserie chicken, but still want some easy chicken to top it with, I like to throw two frozen chicken breasts in the instant pot with 1/2 cup water, 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and generous salt and pepper. I set it manually on high pressure for 25 minutes. When it’s done, I simply drain the liquid and shred it. That way, I have tender chicken, without having to heat up my kitchen.

OR you can omit the chicken altogether if you want it to be more of a side salad for a potluck, or if you want it to be vegan. 

If you’re looking for a Thai Chicken recipe, check out my friend, Tessa’s, Thai Grilled Chicken.

CAN I MAKE THIS SALAD AHEAD OF TIME?

I would not recommend it. Greens can wilt quite quickly–especially when they have dressing on them. If you’re trying to save time, here’s what I’d do:

• Make the dressing ahead of time and then store it in an air tight container or jar. You will need to shake it to re-distribute it when you’re ready to serve.
• Have the toppings chopped and kept in individual bags or containers, so all you have to do it dump them on top of the greens when you’re ready to serve and dress the salad.

WHAT OTHER ALLERGY FRIENDLY SALADS DO YOU RECOMMEND?

Are you having a big BBQ or potluck where you want several types of salads to offer? Or, are you just on a salad kick like me and you want more gluten, dairy, egg and nut free versions for your restricted diet? Then I have you covered! Here are all of my favorite allergy friendly salads:

• Gluten, dairy & egg free Avocado BLT Pasta Salad
• Gluten, dairy, egg & nut free Asian Pasta Spinach Salad
• Apple, Bacon & Spinach Salad with Sweet Red Onion Vinaigrette
• Allergy friendly Tuscan Pasta Salad
• Mexican Tuna Salad
• Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken Salads
• Instant Pot Dairy Free Ranch Potato Salad

I hope that regardless of your food allergies that you’re able to see there’s lots of yummy side salads and entrée salads that you can still enjoy this summer. Be sure to share this recipe with other allergy friendly friends!