Chicken Salad Slaw With Peanuts and Nori
Updated June 8, 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
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
12 grams carbs; 79 milligrams cholesterol; 458 calories; 15 grams monounsaturated 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
- 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.
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!
Our family loved this salad. I agree with other reviewers to 1.5 x the dressing. I also agree that the dressing needs a little extra kick - I added juice from half a lime, a rough 2 tsp of fish sauce, 1 tbsp honey, and 1/2 tsp of chile crisp. I also swapped in a tbsp of thinly sliced mint for the nori (it gets soggy once the dressing hits it). It changes the flavor profile to something more on the Thai side of things, and it was tasty….!
Made this tonight for two, but made the full dressing. It was good, I added bell pepper, cucumbers and tomatoes from my garden. I think the dressing was a bit much peanut butter for me, I prefer vinaigrette type dressings but this was very flavorful. Will not likely make it again but enjoyed this attempt!
This was good, but bland, as written. After tasting the sauce made per the recipe, I followed the advice of a commenter - added lime juice, chili crisp, and fish sauce to the dressing. Skipped the nori. Ended up adding about double the cucumber. We ate it all, but we didn't love it. Probably won't make it again.
Excellent & easy recipe! Didn't have nori snacks but used cilantro. Next time will add some lime juice as others have suggested.