Chicken Salad Slaw With Peanuts and Nori

By Ali Slagle

Updated June 8, 2026

  • David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff.
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Ready In
30 min
Rating
5(537)
Comments
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This no-cook, main-dish slaw is all about texture and toppings. The cabbage and shredded chicken is only the beginning. It also has a double dose of savory nuttiness from nori and peanuts, a creamy peanut-ginger dressing and refreshing scallions and cucumbers. It’s creamy, crunchy, salty and fresh all at once, satisfying bite after bite. For a vegan option, trade the chicken for a combination of shelled edamame, baked tofu, bean sprouts and cooked whole grains. 

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 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

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

12 grams carbs; 79 milligrams cholesterol; 458 calories; 15 grams monosaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 33 grams fat; 4 grams fiber; 716 milligrams sodium; 31 grams protein; 5 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. 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). 

    1. 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.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
537 user ratings
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Comments

Veejayne

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.

MartiJ_dc

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!

Sissi

@Carol S. Fish Sauce - just a dash (or 2)

Phoenician

I added some crushed Chiltepín when serving for a little kick.

Sam

Weirdly bland and mushy. After I wilted the cabbage and thinly sliced the cucumbers (neither of which there were enough of), they were soft and a little watery and just disappeared into the pasty texture of the whole thing. The only crunch came from the peanuts. And the dressing’s flavors similarly vanished into the other ingredients, such that most of the salad’s flavor came from the seaweed and the stuff I added to doctor it up — more vinegar (the salad desperately needed more acid) and a lot of chili crisp. This also needs some other, more flavorful vegetables — celery, maybe? Radish? I won’t make this again, though.

Louise K.

Good but will cook chicken myself next time. Sure, rotisserie chicken is quick, but it’s often dry, and it was unbearably so in this. I’ve been known to roast two chickens at once, serve one and save the rest for multiple recipes.

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