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We’ve been eating this AIP chicken salad a lot lately and it never fails to get the thumbs up. It’s healthy, refreshing and, with its tart dressing, full of flavor. You’re going to love this too.
Chicken thighs are really succulent and have a great flavor, but the secret is to get a lot of color on the skin because color equals flavor! When you put the chicken pieces into the hot pan, resist the urge to move them too quickly, or you may find you leave half the skin behind on the base of the pan. After five minutes or so of cooking, the skin will have shrunk back from the pan and you can then use your tongs to take it out. You’ll be left with bronzed, crispy chicken skin and beautifully moist, tasty meat below. Mmm, enjoy!
- 4 large chicken thighs, skin on and bone in
- Salad:
- ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 medium carrots, julienned (cut into matchsticks) or grated
- 4 inch piece cucumber, julienned
- 3+1/2 inch thick piece daikon, julienned or grated
- ½ packed cup Thai (or 1-oz packet regular) basil, shredded
- 1 cup cilantro, chopped
- ¼ packed cup mint leaves, chopped
- Dressing:
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
- ½ tsp freshly grated ginger
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Heat a large ovenproof sauté or frying pan (preferably cast iron) on a medium high heat, until very hot. Now place the chicken thighs into the pan, skin side down. You don't need to add any fat as you'll find the chicken skin renders a lot. Leave, undisturbed, for 5-6 minutes until the skin has a good deep brown color. If you try to move the chicken pieces too soon, you may rip the skins off, as they will stick to the base of the pan. When the skin is nicely browned, remove the pieces and put them onto a plate. Pour the rendered fat into a small pot and use this for something else, another time.
- Return the chicken pieces to the hot pan, this time putting them skin side upwards. Place the pan into the oven and cook for around 15 minutes until cooked through. Remove the chicken thighs and put them onto a large, clean plate and allow them to cool down.
- To make the dressing, simply put all the ingredients into a small bowl and mix well.
- Put the chicken pieces onto a chopping board and cut into fairly thin slices.
- Put the salad ingredients into a serving bowl, pour over the dressing and mix well. Divide the salad between four plates and top with the shredded chicken. Serve.
8 comments
[…] I tend to eat salads for lunch but this one is so good I want it all the time. Beautifully browned and lightly crisped chicken, thinly sliced and placed over the top of matchstick veggies, with a dressing that’s a perfect mix of tangy, fishy (fish sauce peps up everything, right?), spicy and garlicky rolled into one – we can’t get enough of it. It’s also a cinch to make, hurrah! I think you’re probably getting the picture now, so go find this recipe over on the Autoimmune Wellness site. […]
So yummy!!! I was a little skeptical of the garlic/ginger/aminos/fish sauce combo. I ate some AIP teriyaki flavored coconut jerky last summer with those flavors, and I never got over how gross that jerky tasted. I think the ACV cuts it perfectly, and it was really tasty! I’ve been in a slump the last few months. I’ve been AIP almost two years with no successful reintroductions, and I’ve been so sick to death of cooking every meal. I’ve been living off of rotisserie chicken and frozen turkey burgers most days. This recipe really brightened my day and motivated me to get back to cooking. Thank you!
I’m so pleased to hear it fuelled your cooking mojo.
Wishing you some successful reintroductions in the near future.
This was absolutely delicious! My picky toddlers loved it, and my husband did too (and they are a tough crowd, it’s not easy to get any of them to eat salads!) He even asked that I put it in regular rotation, so big thumbs up all around. Thanks for sharing:)
I love that story. So pleased you cracked that tough crowd 😉
This was soooo darn good! Inlove how fresh and crisp the veggies were. We has lftovers and the second night warmed the chicken skin side down in a skillet and the skin got even crunchier this will be in my regular rotation and I am not much of a salad person!
Awesome recipe! I made this last night. No daikon radishes so I sliced red radishes instead. Subbed white onions for red and used regular basil. Wanted more greens so I used a base of arugula. Love the elements of this dish. I will make it again!
I’ve made this salad about a thousand times! It’s my go to dressing all the time! And my son loves it too! Thank you!