Skinnymixer’s Thai BBQ Chicken Crispy Rice Salad features in the Chef Specials section of the cookbook SkinnyAsia 2.

Our Thai BBQ Chicken Crispy Rice Salad combines juicy, caramelised chicken with cucumber, carrot, cos lettuce and loads of fresh coriander, Thai basil and mint.

Then we add the best bit: golden, crunchy pieces of seasoned crispy rice.

Everything is tossed with a punchy Thai-style dressing made with lime, fish sauce, chilli and fresh herbs, then finished with roasted peanuts and fresh lime.

It’s fresh, crunchy, sweet, salty, sour and a little spicy all at once.

Methods: Thermo cooker + Conventional
Rice: Oven or air fryer for crisping

What You Will Need

For the complete quantities, see the recipe in SkinnyAsia 2.

For the crispy rice:

Jasmine or basmati rice
Olive oil
A little of the reserved dressing

For the Thai BBQ chicken:

Chicken thigh
Garlic
Fresh ginger
Coriander stems
Lemongrass
Soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos
Fish sauce
Brown or coconut sugar
Honey
White pepper
Fresh lime

For the dressing:

Garlic
Birdseye chilli
Shallot
Fresh coriander
Fish sauce
Fresh lime juice
Brown or coconut sugar

For the salad:

Lebanese cucumber
Carrot
Cos lettuce
Spring onion
Fresh coriander
Thai basil
Fresh mint

To serve:

Roasted peanuts
Extra fresh herbs
Lime wedges

How to Make the Crispy Rice

After the rice has chilled and dried, toss it with a small amount of oil and spread it over a lined metal baking tray.

Cook for 10 minutes, stir it well, then return it to the oven while the chicken finishes cooking.

And here’s another important tip:

Let the crispy rice cool before adding it to the salad.

It will continue to crisp as it cools. If you don’t like crispy rice, you can make it as crispy as you like or skip the oven cook.

Don’t Mix the Salad Too Early

This one is best assembled immediately before serving.

Once crispy rice is mixed with dressing and fresh vegetables, it will naturally start absorbing moisture and gradually lose its crunch.

Prepare your individual components ahead of time if you like, but keep the:

Crispy rice
Salad
Dressing
Chicken

separate until you’re nearly ready to eat.

Then toss and serve.

Thai-Style BBQ Chicken

The chicken has plenty of flavour of its own.

Chicken thighs are marinated with garlic, ginger, coriander, lemongrass, soy sauce, fish sauce, honey, lime and white pepper.

They’re then browned in a hot pan to develop a beautifully caramelised exterior before finishing in the oven.

While the chicken rests, you can finish assembling the salad.

Can I Prepare This Salad Ahead?

Yes, and parts of it actually need to be prepared ahead.

Cook and season the rice, then refrigerate it for 2–6 hours to dry.

The chicken can marinate during the same time, so you’re not adding another separate waiting period.

You can also prepare the dressing and vegetables ahead.

For the best texture, wait until close to serving to crisp the rice and combine the finished salad.

Freezer Crispy Rice Shortcut

Want to make the next batch faster?

We’ve included a Freezer Friendly variation specifically for the rice.

Freeze portions of cooked rice, then defrost and crisp when you need them for a quick dinner.

The chicken can also be frozen raw in its marinade or after cooking, making this a handy recipe to prep ahead.

Dietary & Recipe Variations

LOW CARB / SUPER SKINNY / PALEO
Replace the jasmine rice with cauliflower rice. Season it, then skip the chilling stage and cook it directly in the oven or air fryer, checking regularly so it doesn’t burn. Use the suggested compliant sauces and sweeteners.

FREEZER FRIENDLY
Freeze portions of cooked rice ready to defrost and crisp. The chicken can be frozen raw in its marinade or after cooking.

VEGETARIAN
Replace the chicken with pan-fried tofu or tempeh and use vegan fish sauce.

LOW FODMAP
Replace the garlic with garlic-infused olive oil, use the green part of spring onion instead of shallot and replace the honey with extra brown sugar. Add lime zest to the dressing for even more fresh flavour.

HALVED / DOUBLED
This recipe can be halved or doubled. When using the Thermo cooker, keep the cooking water the same and don’t exceed the specified maximum quantity of rice.

How to Serve Thai BBQ Chicken Crispy Rice Salad

Pile the dressed salad and crispy rice into a large serving bowl and top with slices of the rested Thai BBQ chicken.

Finish generously with:

Roasted peanuts
Fresh coriander
Thai basil
Mint
Fresh lime wedges

Or skip the bowls altogether and spoon everything into crisp lettuce cups.

Get the Recipe

The complete Thai BBQ Chicken Crispy Rice Salad recipe, including Thermo cooker and conventional methods, crispy rice instructions, Thai BBQ chicken marinade, dietary variations and make-ahead tips, is available in SkinnyAsia 2.

From the Testing Team

Kaz M. – Yum! This is goooooood. I will use 1 chilli next time Kids ate everything on their plates and said it was really good but miss 14 said she prefers the tuna one.. I prefer this one! That chicken is delicious!
Veronica B. – Yummmmmm this is bloody delicious the rice is so crunchy and the flavours of the marinade and dressing is addictive
Deb D. – This is really delicious. Soo much flavour. It’s totally worth the effort
Sacha P. – Loved the flavours! The chicken was super tender! I didn’t like the crispy rice, if I made it again I’d either not crisp the rice or use noodles instead.
Sarah M.– Absolutely delicious but the kids turned their noses up at the salad That chicken though is to die for. I can easily see us making this again with double the chicken portion & putting it on skewers then serving the salad on the side
Leia S. – Used Breast, only 1 chilli cooked in the TM31. Zero issues. So yummy. Wouldn’t have wanted to use 2 chillies it was warm enough. All of us enjoyed it.
Kate G.– Big mini skinny made this for lunch today. It was absolutely delicious! She said that the ‘sauce is bangin’ and this is probably her favourite skinnymixers meal which is a big call because it’s always been the Burrito bowls! If there were any changes to make I’d suggest more sauce, that stuff is liquid crack!
Sabene N. – This could possibly be the best salad I’ve ever had. I really enjoyed this one. I didn’t read it properly but and didn’t have time for the rice so just had normal rice. Still delicious though!
Betty W. – Made low sodium (Dressing half fish sauce/half water, half sugar; Marinade – half coconut aminos, fish sauce, sugar, honey). This was great. Just a little time consuming and a bit more (easy) efforting to get all components sorted. Low sodium worked well. Everyone wanted more of the crispy rice. I only let dry out for 2-3 hours but next time will be more prepared as we still had quite a few rice clumps.
Krisha G. – This is really good! I did double so had enough for work lunches. Absolute flavour bomb!

Some other Thermomix Crispy Rice Salad recipes you might love:

Want to know more about SkinnyAsia 2 cookbook?

SkinnyAsia 2 is a collection of Thermomix & Conventional cooking recipes. All of our cookbooks have a strong focus on Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Nut-free, Egg Free, Low Carb, Paleo, Vegetarian and Low FODMAP.

We cover a wide range of dietary variations in the cookbook – LC: Low Carb, GF: Gluten-free, DF: Dairy-free, LM: Low Fodmap, SS: Super Skinny, V: Vegetarian

FAQ

Why does the rice need to be refrigerated before crisping?

Chilling gives the cooked rice time to cool and dry out, particularly on the surface. Less surface moisture means the rice can crisp more effectively when it hits the hot oven or air fryer. Spread it thinly over a flat tray for the best result.

Can I make the crispy rice ahead of time?

You can cook, season and refrigerate the rice 2–6 hours ahead, which is exactly what the recipe calls for. You can also freeze portions of cooked rice for future batches. For the crunchiest finished salad, crisp the rice closer to serving and don’t toss it with the dressed salad until you’re ready to eat.

I don’t like crispy rice, do I need to make it crispy?

Absolutely not. Just skip the drying/crisping part.

SkinnyAsia2: Thai BBQ Chicken Crispy Rice Salad