Indulge your taste buds in the vibrant flavours of this Vietnamese Chicken Salad, a culinary creation of fresh herbs, crisp vegetables, and succulent poached chicken. Bursting with zesty lime, fish sauce, and a hint of chilli, this salad is a harmonious balance of textures and tastes, capturing the essence of Vietnamese cuisine in every delightful bite… It’s colourful, healthy, low fat, low carb and super easy to make!
This Vietnamese Chicken Salad offers a delightful combination of lightness, healthiness, and refreshing flavours. Perfect for warm summer nights when you’re inclined to avoid heating up the kitchen, this salad is not only healthy but also incredibly delicious.
Vietnamese salads are known for their vibrant colours, diverse textures, and nuanced flavours, and this one lives up to that reputation. Featuring the crisp crunch of cabbage and carrot, the tender and moist poached shredded chicken, and aromatic herbs, the salad is then adorned with crunchy peanuts and fried shallots. The mild heat from the chilli complements the ensemble, and the sweet, sour, and salty notes of the Nuoc Cham dressing tie everything together. The result is a salad that stands out as one of the best.
Ideal for making ahead, this salad is excellent for meal prepping work lunches or packing for camping or picnics. Simply keep the components separate and toss them together when you’re ready to enjoy a delightful and satisfying meal.
I hope this salad brings you much joy and flavour! ❤️
How to make
- Poach the Chicken: This step can be done 2-3 days in advance. Simply place chicken breast fillets in a saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let the chicken continue cooking in the poaching liquid. Drain, cool, shred, and use immediately or refrigerate until needed.
- Prepare Salad Ingredients: Thinly slice cabbage, julienne or grate the carrot, slice spring/green onions and chilli. Add herbs and toss together. This can be made a few days in advance. Store in a zip-lock bag in the refrigerator crisper drawer or use immediately.
- Make the Dressing: Place garlic and chilli into a mortar and pestle and crush until roughly smooth. Add the fish sauce, sugar, lime juice and enough warm water to dilute (start with 1 tablespoon and go from there to adjust to your tastebuds) and stir until well combined. Alternately, place ingredients into a screw-top jar and shake until well combined.
- Serve: When ready to serve, toss salad ingredients with chicken, peanuts, shallots, and dressing. Place on a serving platter or in individual bowls and serve.
These make-ahead steps make it convenient to assemble the salad quickly, whether you’re preparing for a busy week or entertaining guests. Enjoy the delicious flavors of this Vietnamese Chicken Salad!
Expert tips
Tips for Making the Best Vietnamese Chicken Salad:
- Use Poached Chicken: Opt for poached chicken for a tender and juicy texture. Leftover rotisserie or roast chicken can be used as well (approximately 2 1/2 cups shredded).
- Choose Wombok Cabbage (Chinese Cabbage): Wombok cabbage works best due to its tender texture. However, you can use other green cabbage varieties, ensuring they are finely sliced for a more tender consistency.
- Julienne Carrots: For elegant, long strands, julienne the carrots using a peeler, slicing by hand, or using a mandolin with a shredder blade. Avoid using a box grater, as it may result in overly soft and mushy carrots.
- Deseed Chillies for Milder Spice: If you prefer less spiciness, slice the chillies in half and deseed them. Long red chillies are milder, and small birds-eye chillies can be used for the dressing. Include them for colour, flavour, and a hint of spiciness.
- Abundant Fresh Herbs: Don’t skimp on fresh herbs, as they add freshness, flavour, and vibrant colour to the salad. They are an essential component.
- Choose Nuts: Unsalted roasted peanuts are recommended, but you can use cashews as an alternative.
- Dress Right Before Serving: To maintain crispness, avoid dressing the salad until just before serving. Once dressed, the ingredients start to soften as the dressing melds into them.
These tips ensure a delightful Vietnamese Chicken Salad with a perfect balance of flavours, textures, and freshness. Enjoy!
Storage
Storage for Vietnamese Chicken Salad:
- Make-Ahead Components: Certain components can be prepared ahead for convenience.
- Poached Chicken: Prepare and shred up to 2-3 days in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Salad Ingredients: Slice cabbage, julienne or grate carrots, and chop herbs in advance. Store in a zip-lock bag in the refrigerator crisper drawer for a few days or use immediately.
- Dressing: Prepare the dressing and keep it chilled in the refrigerator for up to one week. Use warm water when mixing to help sugar dissolve more thoroughly.
- Assemble Before Serving: When ready to serve, toss together the salad ingredients with shredded chicken, peanuts, shallots, and dressing. Assemble on a serving platter or individual bowls and serve immediately.
By prepping components ahead and assembling just before serving, you can maintain the salad’s crispness and flavours. Enjoy the convenience of this make-ahead Vietnamese Chicken Salad!
PERFECT MEAL PREP FOR LUNCHES
Vietnamese Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breast fillets
- ½ Chinese wombok or green cabbage, thinly sliced
- ¼ red cabbage, finely sliced
- 2 large carrots, julienned
- 4 spring/green onions, thinly sliced
- ½ bunch coriander, roughly chopped
- ½ bunch mint leaves, roughly chopped (If using Vietnamese mint, use slightly less)
- 2 long red chillies, thinly sliced (deseeded for less heat if desired)
- ⅓ cup unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped (or cashews)
- 2 tablespoons store-bought fried shallots or toasted sesame seeds (optional)
NOUC CHAM DRESSING
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2-3 small birds eye red chilli, finely diced (deseeded for less heat if desired)
- ⅓ cup fish sauce
- ⅓ cup caster sugar
- juice of 1 lime
- 1-3 tablespoons lukewarm water
Instructions
SALAD
- Place chicken breasts into a large wide saucepan. Add chicken breast fillets and a good pinch of salt. Cover with cold water to cover by at least 3cm. Place over a medium high heat and bring gently to the boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Turn heat off and cover the pan with a lid. Allow the chicken to continue cooking in the hot poaching liquid for a further 10 minutes. Remove chicken and transfer to a plate. Allow to cool at room temperature for around 20 minutes or until you are able to handle with your fingertips.
- Once chicken is cool enough, using your hands, shred the chicken into rough bite size pieces. Cover and chill until required. (This can be prepared up to 2 days in advance)
- Place the cabbages, carrots, spring/green onions, herbs and chilli in a large bowl. Add half of the chicken, peanuts, fried shallots and Nuoc Cham Dressing. Toss well combine. Transfer to a large plate or platter and top with remaining chicken, peanuts and fried shallots then drizzle with remaining Nuoc Cham Dressing. Serve immediately.
NOUC CHAM DRESSING
- Place garlic and chilli into a mortar and pestle and crush until roughly smooth. Add the fish sauce, sugar, lime juice and enough water to dilute (start with 1 tablespoon and go from there to adjust to your tastebuds) and stir until well combined. Alternately, place ingredients into a screw-top jar and shake until well combined.
Notes
- COOKS NOTES:
Oven Temps: Oven temperatures are for conventional, if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C.
Measurements: We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon = 5 ml, 1 tablespoon = 20 ml & 1 cup = 250 ml.
Herbs: All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed.
Vegetables: All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified.
Eggs: We use extra-large size and eggs are 55-60 g each, unless specified. - MAKE AHEAD
This is a great salad to make ahead. Keep all your components (chicken, salad, nuts and shallots and dressing) in separate containers and mix together just before serving. It’s perfect to take on a picnic.
The chicken can be poached and shredded up to 2-3 days in advance
Dressing can be made up to 1 week in advance.
Salad ingredients can be tossed together up to 2 days in advance.
Peanuts can be chopped and added together with the fried shallots many weeks in advance.
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