I might be entering my rice era. It’s (weirdly) not an ingredient I typically cook with, but recently I’ve been absolutely LOVING it. 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.

Ingredients

• 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 specially for this recipe, this grilled miso chicken is a lovely one to use.
• Thai basil. This gorgeous, vibrant herb has an aniseedy flavor, so if you’re not a fan of that, swap it for more mint or 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 it

If you’re cooking your rice, do that first, then spread it out onto a lined oven tray and pop it into the fridge to cool while you prep the rest of the salad. If you’re using leftover rice, you can skip ahead.

Mix the cooled rice with sesame oil, soy sauce and chili oil, then pop into the oven to get lovely and crispy. You can also do this in the air fryer.

While that’s happening, mix your dressing and prep all your salad ingredients.

Combine everything in a mixing bowl – or save on washing up and use the bowl you’ll serve the salad in – then pour over the dressing. Serve with an extra sprinkling of peanuts and more dressing on the side.