Meal Prep Chicken Satay Salad Bowl

Now that it’s back-to-work time, having some easy-to-prep lunch ideas means spending less money and time on lunch, and you can plan ahead to eat something really satisfying and healthy. 

Getting plenty of protein and fibre at lunch helps you avoid an afternoon energy slump - and this salad is a great source of both. 

Each serve contains 1 serve of protein and at least 2 serves of vegetables. 

Variations

• You can substitute cubed, fried firm tofu for the chicken - tofu is amazing with satay dressing.

• You can use any vegetables you like in this, but try for a mix of colours to get a good variety of antioxidants and vitamins. 

• You can make the sauce taste exactly as you’d like by playing around with the quantities.  

In terms of prepping this ahead, we’re going to cook all the chicken and make all the dressing, then it’s up to you if you want to chop the veg fresh each day, or chop it all at once and dish up your 5 serves. It’s definitely better if you can make it fresh in the evening for the next day, but if you don’t have time you can prep it all at once - just don’t dress it until you’re ready to eat. 

What’s great about the ingredients?

Chicken breast is a great lean protein source.

The fat in the dressing helps absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins.

Green vegetables tend to be good sources of B vitamins and vitamin C, while red and orange vegetables are usually a good source of vitamin A. 

All vegetables are a good source of fibre. 

Meal Prep Chicken Satay Salad Bowl

Makes: 5 large serves
Time: 15 minutes preparation, 30-40 minutes baking time
Ingredients: 

• 500g boneless, skinless chicken breast

• Olive oil

• Salt, pepper, and dried herbs of your choice (thyme is good here)

• 1 head of celery, around 10 sticks

• 5 medium carrots

• 2 Lebanese cucumbers

• 1 head of cos lettuce

Satay dressing 

• 4 heaped tbsp of peanut butter

• 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce (or 1tbsp each of Thai red chilli paste and brown sugar)

• 1 tbsp lime juice

• 1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari

• Hot water

What to do:

Cook the Chicken

Preheat the oven to 180℃. Place the chicken breasts in an oven-safe dish, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt, pepper, and dried herbs. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until fully cooked. Set aside to cool, then once cooled, shred or cut into cubes. 

Make the Dressing

Next, make the dressing by placing all ingredients except the water in a small saucepan. Whisk together over low heat. Once it’s all whisked together, add enough hot water to thin it out to your desired consistency. Set aside to cool, then place in a container or jar and refrigerate until ready to use. 

Chop the Vegetables

Option 1 - Chop all the veg into small pieces and shred the lettuce. Mix with the chicken, divide into 5 containers, and refrigerate. When ready to serve, add around 2 tbsp dressing per serve. 

Option 2 - Each evening before the day you want to eat this, chop 1 carrot, 2 sticks celery, and ⅓ to ½ a cucumber, and shred 3-4 leaves of lettuce. Mix with ⅕ or around 80g of the chicken and refrigerate. When ready to serve, add around 2 tbsp of the dressing. Enjoy!