Chicken Salad Slaw With Peanuts and Nori
Updated May 20, 2026
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff.
- Ready In
- 30 min
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons less-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
12 to 14 ounces green or Napa cabbage, thinly sliced (about 6 cups, or one 12- to 14-ounce bag of slaw blend)
Salt
3 cups cooked, shredded chicken (from 1 rotisserie chicken or two poached breasts)
2 mini seedless or Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
½ cup roasted, unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 (0.17-ounce) pack nori snacks
Preparation
- Step 1
In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, stir together the peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger and garlic. Add warm water, a tablespoon at a time, until saucy but still creamy (2 to 4 tablespoons).
- Step 2
In a large bowl, season the cabbage with a pinch of salt. Squeeze until wilted slightly. Add the chicken, cucumbers and dressing. Toss to combine. (Slaw can be made up to this point up to 1 day ahead.) Top with the peanuts and scallions, then crush the nori in your hands and add to the salad.
Private Notes
Comments
Not a fan of nori, so I'd leave that out, but I've made salads like this for ages. It's great on pasta also. Use any peanut butter you happen to have. You'll be adding peanuts anyway, so why not use crunchy? I also recommend adding red bell pepper for that little sweet + color.
Didn't use Nori (family member won't eat) and reduced garlic but otherwise made as directed. Absolutely delicious. Used squeeze ginger (1 TBSP) and minced most of a large garlic clove. Had smaller bag of slaw so will use rest of dressing in other ways (happily). Hoping extra dressing keeps in the refrigerator for around a week - will add warm water to loosen if needed.
Looks yummy. Will try with cashew butter and cashews as peanut butter allergies in house. Maybe a splash of fish sauce and some mint.
Great recipe. Couple tips after making it twice: -Double sauce quantity -Add 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil to sauce -make the sauce in a nutribullet if you have one (just add the water before you blend)
Tried and found it made enough for good-sized dinner four nights in a row. I switched it up every night: added a bit of extra cabbage the first night, tossed in a bit of Chile crisp the second night. The third night, I added fried shallots. And more cucumbers, some basil and a little extra rice vinegar. Each night was great… and slightly different. Tons of fun!
This is very good, though it was not good the next day, so plan to finish it the day it's made! Though I like Nori, I don't think its addition added much here. Instead, I would add a splash of lime juice and chopped cilantro and/or mint before serving. I used 1.5 lbs. of chicken thighs marinated in equal parts olive oil, vinegar, soy sauce plus garlic and baked and sliced thin.