Satay Crispy Rice Salad

This twist on the viral crispy rice salad takes the flavor of juicy satay chicken and turns it into a lovely, satisfying salad. Crisp up your rice, combine with lots of lovely crunchy greens, and pour over a GORGEOUSLY creamy peanut dressing you’ll want to drink.

Satay Crispy Rice Salad, at a Glance

⏰ Total time: 40 minutes

🍽 Servings: 4

🛒 Key ingredients: Cucumber, edamame beans, scallions, peanut butter, light soy sauce, cooked chicken, rice

🧠 Skill level: Beginner-friendly

🔥 Cooking method: Oven or air fryer

💪 Protein: 37g per serving

💃 Perfect for: Busy weeknights, meal prep, family dinners, make-ahead lunches, potlucks, using up leftover rice

A Satisfying Salad of Dreams

I might be entering my rice era. It’s (weirdly) not an ingredient I typically cook with, but I’ve been absolutely LOVING it lately. There’s a life-changing (not hyperbole, I swear) baked rice recipe that we’ve been enjoying over and over, and now this gorgeous salad, studded with crispy spiced rice and the absolute best, and most satisfying flavors and textures.

This might be my ultimate salad? It’s a bit like a satay chicken rice bowl, in salad form, and it really works. I wasn’t sure what the crispy rice would be like – I worried it would go hard and not be enjoyable to eat, but it 100% works. Crispy and crunchy without being hard, it brings another lovely element to the salad and provides bulk, so it feels like a full meal. Try my crispy ramen noodle salad, ‘Marry Me’ chicken crispy rice salad, juicy chicken shawarma crispy rice salad or Korean grilled chicken crispy rice salad for a similar experience!

It’s a brilliant way to use up any leftover rice you might have, but I’ve also included instructions for cooking rice specifically for this salad in the full recipe at the bottom of the page.

If you like these flavors, you’ll love this charred peanut chicken recipe, chicken satay flatbreads, or these juicy chicken satay bowls as well.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Rice. You can use leftover cooked rice, or cook the rice for this recipe (I’ve included both options in the recipe at the bottom of the page). You could also use a packet of microwave rice. I’m using long-grain rice (like basmati or jasmine), but short-grain will work too – you’ll end up with little clusters of crispy rice rather than individual grains, which is a nice change.
• Peanut butter. This forms the base of the satay dressing. Use natural peanut butter here (so peanut butter with only peanuts and salt listed in the ingredients). Smooth or chunky – it’s up to you!
• Edamame beans. I always like to have a bag of podded edamame beans in the freezer – they add a lovely bit of protein to salads and rice bowls and work beautifully here. Just soak them in warm water for a few minutes to quickly defrost them. You could use peas or broad beans instead if you like.
• Chicken. You don’t have to add chicken to this salad, but it’s a lovely way to use up any leftovers (or a great way to use a rotisserie chicken). If you’d like to cook the chicken for this recipe, this grilled miso chicken is a lovely recipe to use.
• Thai basil. This gorgeous, vibrant herb has an aniseed flavor, so if you’re not a fan of that, swap it for more mint, cilantro, or regular basil.
• Fish sauce. You’ll use this in the satay dressing – it adds a lovely savory depth and doesn’t make it taste fishy at all – but if you don’t want to use it or want to make the salad vegetarian, use more soy sauce.

How to Make Satay Crispy Rice Salad

This is a step-by-step photo overview of how to make the salad – the full recipe with ingredient quantities is at the bottom of the page for you.

1. Toss your cooked rice with sesame oil, soy sauce and chili oil, then pop into the oven to get lovely and crispy.

1. You can also do this in the air fryer if you prefer (it’s quicker).

1. Mix your satay sauce.

1. And prepare your remaining salad ingredients.

1. Pour the crispy rice on top of your salad, then pour over the creamy satay dressing.

1. Toss the salad well, so everything is coated in the lovely dressing. Scatter with extra peanuts, then serve.

Watch How to Make the Salad

Satay Crispy Rice Salad FAQs

Can I make the satay crispy rice salad in advance?

Once you mix the salad with the dressing and store it, you’ll lose the crispiness of the rice. It’ll become a little chewy (which is still delicious), so if you’re entertaining or taking it along to a potluck, I recommend mixing the rice and dressing through the salad just before serving.

It’ll keep well (roughly 4 days in the fridge) and doesn’t get soggy (!) It’s a brilliant one to meal prep.

What else could I add to the satay crispy rice salad?

Shredded cabbage, bean sprouts, chunks of avocado, finely diced red onion, or shredded carrots are lovely additions. You can really play around, based on what you have to hand.

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @Zageer on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day 😊.

This twist on the viral crispy rice salad takes the flavor of juicy satay chicken and turns it into a lovely, satisfying salad. Crisp up your rice, then combine with lots of lovely crunchy greens, and pour over a GORGEOUSLY creamy peanut butter dressing that you’ll be wanting to drink. Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 40 mins

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Salad
Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

For the salad –

• 2 cups cooked long-grain rice, or ⅔ cup uncooked rice
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon chili oil, (like chili crisp)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 cooked chicken breasts, chopped or shredded
• 1 cup podded edamame beans
• 3 scallions, finely sliced
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• A handful of Thai basil, chopped
• A handful of mint leaves, chopped
• A handful of cilantro, chopped
• ⅓ cup roasted peanuts, crushed
• 1 red chili, finely sliced (optional)

For the peanut satay dressing –

• ½ cup natural peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon sweet chili jam, or use honey or sweet chili sauce
• ½ cup water

Method

1. Cook your rice (skip this step if you're using leftover rice). Add ⅔ cup of rice to a small pot you have a lid for. Add 1 cup of water, then set over high heat until you see foamy bubbles on top. Pop the lid on, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 12 minutes. Remove from the heat (still with the lid on), and set aside for another 10 minutes, to finish steaming. After this, fluff up the grains with a fork, then spread onto a tray or plate lined with parchment paper and pop it into the fridge to cool for at least 10 minutes.
2. Prepare your crispy rice. Heat your oven to 400°F (200°C). If you're using leftover rice, transfer it to a parchment paper lined sheet pan. If you're using your fresh rice, get the tray out of the fridge. Pour 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and 1 tablespoon of chili oil over the rice, then toss to combine.
3. Make your crispy rice (oven instructions).Spread the seasoned rice into a thin, even layer (ideally one layer), then pop it into the oven for 25 – 30 minutes to crisp up. Check the rice after 15 minutes to see how it's going – some ovens are a little uneven, and you may want to rotate the tray. Check it at 20 minutes too, as it can easily burn, and again, all ovens are different.
You can also make your crispy rice in the air fryer. Transfer the seasoned cooked rice to your air fryer basket (I remove the insert, but you don't have to). Air fry at 400°F (200°C) for 10 minutes, then give the rice a little shake and air fry for a further five minutes until super golden and crispy.
4. Mix your satay dressing. Add ½ cup of peanut butter, 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, 2 teaspoons of fish sauce, and 1 tablespoon of sweet chili jam to a bowl or a jar. Use a fork to mix into a thick paste. It'll seem like it won't come together, but just keep mixing. Slowly drizzle in ½ cup of water, mixing as you do, until you get a lovely creamy dressing with the consistency of heavy cream.
PRO TIP: Your satay dressing will firm up as it sits, so if it's a little thick by the time you're ready to toss it with your salad, drizzle in a little extra water to loosen it back up. Likewise, if you pour in too much water, mix in a little more peanut butter to thicken it again.
5. Mix your salad. Once your rice looks lovely and golden and crispy around the edges, remove it from the oven. Add the edamame beans, diced cucumber, chicken, cilantro, mint, Thai basil, red chili (if you're using it), most of the peanuts, sesame seeds and scallions to a mixing bowl, or straight into a serving bowl. Pour the crispy rice on top, then pour roughly half the dressing on top. Mix well to combine. Drizzle over more dressing and scatter over the remaining peanuts to serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 200g
Calories: 542kcal
Carbohydrates: 43.9g
Protein: 37.2g
Fat: 26.3g
Saturated Fat: 4.1g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 19.6g
Cholesterol: 49mg
Sodium: 1890.9mg
Fiber: 4.7g
Sugar: 5.8g

Notes

INGREDIENT NOTES: Use natural peanut butter, which only lists peanuts and a little salt in the ingredients list, rather than anything with sugar and oils. You’ll get the best flavor this way. Smooth or chunky is fine, you choose! If you want to cook chicken specifically for this recipe, I like to use this miso grilled chicken or satay chicken skewers recipe. You’ll end up with more dressing than you need – but it keeps well and is lovely drizzled over anything and everything (grilled chicken, steamed rice, or even as a toast topper!) SUBSTITUTIONS: Skip the Thai basil if you can’t find it, or aren’t a fan of aniseed. You can use more cilantro and mint. Play around with the salad ingredients too – swap edamame for peas or broad beans, add crunchy bean sprouts, shredded cabbage or carrots, or finely diced red onion or shallot. If you don’t want to use the fish sauce in the dressing, just use more soy sauce. Use honey instead of sweet chili jam in the dressing if you like. PREP AHEAD: Once you mix the salad with the dressing and store it, you’ll lose the crispiness of the rice. It’ll become a little chewy (which is still delicious!) but if you’re entertaining or taking it to a potluck, I recommend mixing the rice and dressing through the salad just before serving. But it keeps very well (roughly 4 days in the fridge) and doesn’t get soggy (!) so it’s a brilliant one to meal prep.