Vietnamese Chicken Salad
A fresh and vibrant Vietnamese Chicken Salad packed with crisp cabbage, juicy poached chicken, loads of herbs and a bright, punchy Nuoc Cham dressing. Light, healthy and full of flavour, this salad comes together quickly and is perfect for warm nights, meal prep or an easy, satisfying lunch.
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 salad is ideal for making ahead. Simply keep the chicken, chopped salad, nuts, shallots and dressing in separate containers, then toss everything together just before serving. It’s also a great option for picnics or easy lunches.- Poach and shred the chicken 2–3 days in advance.
- Make the dressing up to 1 week ahead.
- Prep and combine the salad ingredients up to 2 days earlier.
- Chop peanuts and store with the fried shallots well in advance — they’ll keep for weeks.