Vietnamese Shredded Chicken Salad
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Made with a rotisserie chicken, this salad is easy to whip up and full of bright, spicy Southeast Asian flavor.
As much as I love salad as a meal, it’s not usually enough for my husband, who is more of a protein/two sides kind of a guy. But this is one salad that I can get away with serving for dinner — it’s satisfying and full of bright, spicy Southeast Asian flavor. It’s easy, too! You simply shred a rotisserie chicken, chop some veggies, whisk the dressing, and dinner is done. The recipe makes enough for 2 to 3 main course salads; if you want to stretch it, serve some store-bought crispy spring rolls on the side.
What you’ll need to make Vietnamese Shredded Chicken Salad
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, combine all of the salad ingredients, except for the peanuts, in a large bowl.
Next, make the dressing. You’ll need to juice a few limes; an inexpensive juicer like this one is helpful but not necessary.
Whisk together the freshly squeezed lime juice, Sriracha, garlic, sugar, fish sauce, and vegetable oil.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well.
Top with peanuts and serve.
Note: This recipe originally comes from Saveur magazine but I’ve tweaked it a bit to make it my own. (I omitted the rice vinegar and Thai peppers, increased the lime, and added bell peppers, scallions, Sriracha, and peanuts.)
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Vietnamese Shredded Chicken Salad
Made with a rotisserie chicken, this salad is easy to whip up and full of bright, spicy Southeast Asian flavor.
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 2 heaping cups cooked shredded chicken, from one store-bought rotisserie chicken
- 4 cups shredded napa cabbage
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 cup grated or matchstick carrots
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced into bite-sized pieces
- ½ cup roughly chopped fresh mint
- ½ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
- ½ cup chopped peanuts
For the Dressing
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice, from about 3 limes
- 2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce (preferably a brand imported from Thailand or Vietnam)
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Instructions
- In a large salad bowl, combine all of the salad ingredients except for the peanuts. In a separate bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the dressing; whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Right before serving, toss the dressing with the salad. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the peanuts. Serve cold.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 417
- Fat: 30g
- Saturated fat: 5g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Sugar: 12g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 20g
- Sodium: 1169mg
- Cholesterol: 50mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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I made this for a potluck for my son’s school. I was worried that I was showing up smelling like garlic and fish sauce and committing a giant faux pas, but at the end of the party my son’s Vietnamese (!!!) teacher asked if she could take the leftovers and said how on earth did you know how to make Vietnamese salad like this! How about that for a complement! I used Trader Joe’s yuzu hot sauce in lieu of sriracha.
Hi Jenn, I don’t have sriracha but I do have an Asian Chili Garlic sauce. Could I subsititute that or better to just leave it out?
Thanks so much. Am enjoying all your recipes so, so much!
Hi Jane, it’s got a slightly different flavor and texture than sriracha, but you could get away with substituting it. Hope you enjoy!
I made this salad a few days ago and it is delicious BUT it takes a good amount of time to prepare…still rates 5 stars as it is very, very tasty!
This is my third time to make this salad, and it is delicious but a little salty. Will make again but with less fish sauce, which I think makes it a little too salty to my taste.
I don’t think it’s all that salty with the volume of chicken and cabbage to fish sauce.
A delicious recipe that I’ve made several times. I substituted rotisserie chicken, which made it even easier.
Very good & satisfying. I went light on the fish sauce—not a huge fan. Poached 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts. And used a heavy hand w cilantro & mint!
Loved this salad! One of the best new things I have tried in awhile. I add cucumber (took out seeds) for more veggies and about 4 ounces of cooked rice noodles and a little less cabbage! Dressing is perfect
Another winner! I’ve wanted to make this for awhile but we rarely have leftover chicken and our local store is often out of rotisserie chicken. I had made a roast chicken for Easter and had enough leftovers for this. Turned out great!
This is a delightful spring or summer salad. The mint, lime, and crunchy vegetables all make it so lively and fresh. Sliced cucumbers were a nice addition, and I found that for me 2 tablespoons of fish sauce was the right amount. I might try changing the profile a bit next time for fun with a Thai peanut dressing.
looks delicious, but the sodium is through the roof–fully half of your daily intake. No can do. Many of yuur recipes suffer from this (I’m on a restricted salt-intake diet). I’m sure they’re absolutely out of this world.
Hi Debb, if you need any guidance on where to cut some of the sodium/salty ingredients, I’m happy to weigh in.
Another success! My husband asked me to make it again the next day! Thanks Jennifer!
Can you suggest a substitute for the fresh mint? Personally speaking mint is only good for toothpaste.
Thank you
Hi Naomi, you can replace it with flat-leaf parsley. Hope you enjoy!
This is absolutely the very best salad recipe that I have ever tried! Really! I followed the recipe to the letter and it was a big hit at our house. It makes quite a bit but I discovered that I can put any leftovers in a plastic bag and store in the fridge to enjoy again the next day. Of course, I keep the dressing separate. It is superb at any time of year but I’m sure it will be made again many times in warmer weather too. I also think it will be a delicious welcome as a pot luck contribution. Bravo Jen!
WOW. This salad was so dang flavorful!!! It had ALL the umami flavor and I couldn’t stop eating it. If this was on a menu in a Vietnamese restaurant, I would not be able to order anything else after trying it. So fresh. Lip-smacking, actually. A perfect summer salad, even though I made it in winter and would eat it all year long.
This is so ridiculously delicious. My head of napa was really big, so I had to upscale the dressing ingredients, but good lord, this was delicious! Thank you once again, Jenn, for such accessible and DELICIOUS recipes!
Excellent salad! I did lower the sugar to 1tablespoon and used a shallot instead of scallions since that’s what I had on hand. After making the dressing, the salad took about an hour to assemble with the aid of a food processor to shred and chop. It’s a generous 6 servings as a main dish IMHO. I separated and dressed what we were going to use for that meal only. Looking forward to eating the rest tomorrow. Well worth the effort, and an excellent salad for company or a potluck as well. Thank you again, Jenn, for yet another amazing recipe!
Great combination of flavors, so delicious. We really enjoyed this for a light dinner after our holiday over-indulging. Happy New Year!
Loved this recipe – I make it several times over the summer for beach dinners. It’s a new family favorite.
Delicious – easy and so fresh tasting. Perfect for a beach dinner or luncheon with friends. Will make over and over again! Thanks Jenn!
This will be added to my list of “go to” recipes. Absolutely delicious!
It is a really good recipe! Excellent combination of flavors. I just reduced the sugar to 1 tsp.
Fantastic!
Made subtle alterations based on what I had available and it was a hit.
Thank you for sharing.
How spicy is it with 2 tsp. siracha?
Hi Ann, I wouldn’t call it spicy, but if you’re concerned, feel free to cut it back to 1 teaspoon. Hope you enjoy!
I got interested in this recipe for a change of flavor and, Girl, am I glad I did! It. Is FABULOUS!!! It’s so fresh and flavorful! I made it exactly as instructed and wouldn’t change a thing. I, too, was a bit concerned about the use of fish sauce, but found it only added a savory flavor (not fishy!). Thank you again for another delicious recipe!!!
Delicious..I used chicken breasts that cooked in the sous vide. Will definitely make this again.
You’ve got an Alaskan fan now ~ this is one of my favorite throw together vibrant healthy in the best ways meals! For friends, for leftovers (if I put a paper towel in the cabbage/greens mix I keep it for 5-6 days and eat it all week!), whatevs, it’s absolutely delicious and so versatile according to what you have on hand etc… cheers girl keep them coming!
I enjoy everything I’ve made from your site and book. This dish tho was FABULOUS!!! I rarely rate anything 5 stars. This one is. Nothing needed to make it better.
When I made the sauce I was worried about the amount of fish sauce and sugar but it is perfect. I will make this over & over!!! Thank you for an at home Vietnamese dish that rivals the restaurants down the street (Eden Center).
Jenn peanuts…salted or unsalted or does it not matter
Hi Carol, I’d use salted. Hope you enjoy!
Perfect summer salad! Very easy to assemble and perfect amount of seasoning. Yields quite a bit more than indicated.
I have made this so many times now! It’s my favorite salad. I have to make it with romaine lettuce as cabbage does not agree with me but it’s still spectacular. Thank you so much for sharing such a flavorful recipe!
Thanks Justine for your suggestion – I’ve now made it both ways and I prefer the lettuce and my husband prefers the cabbage! We’re having company Saturday and I think I might try to use a bit of both.
What makes this recipe outstanding is the dressing which is almost identical to the dressing we learned to make when taking cooking classes in Vietnam!
Thanks Jennifer for another outstanding recipe!
P S – I forgot to mention I also add Thai basil!
Yummy, fresh, and easy and a good way to use up rotisserie chicken!
I’ve typed very favorable reviews for this two times. When I try to send them, I get a message that says the site is no longer available. Just thought you’d want to know. Very frustrating!
That’s so strange! I do see this one came though which is a good sign. I haven’t gotten complaints from others about it and wasn’t able to duplicate the problem myself, so I suspect it may be specific to your computer. I would suggest going onto the blog using a different internet browser. Oftentimes, those annoying glitches can be resolved by using a different browser. Please let me know if I can help in any other way!
Oh this was delicious!
I made this for a girls night! It was a hit and a welcome change. I grilled chicken breasts ahead of time. Kept the cilantro on the side!
I call this recipe the “two hour salad” because it takes me that long to make it (I am not a fast chopper), but the time is worth it because it’s delicious, flavorful, filling and healthy and is a regular meal for us now. My first time making anything using fish sauce and I was a little hesitant but my family loved it and requests this all the time.
I made this salad just last week with some leftover chicken I had made earlier in the week. It was absolutely delicious! I loved the crunch of napa cabbage and peanuts and heat from the sriracha in the dressing. I also added avocado to my salad. I plan on making this again when I visit my son and daughter-in -law.
This is such a great recipe! Very flavorful and light. The only change I made was substituting radish for peppers because my husband can’t eat them. Another one to save!
I’m not a huge salad fan, but I love this one. The mint, peanuts and cilantro add a lot to it -but mostly, it’s the whole combination that is perfect — and the dressing is wonderful. I’ve been making it every couple weeks since discovering it, and can honestly say that it’s the only salad I’ve ever looked at my husband while eating it and said “I love this stuff!”
Absolutely delicious!
Absolutely delicious! Thank you!
I only had regular cabbage, but it was still outstanding! I’ll be making it again!
Another one hit out of the park!
I loved the intro to this recipe because my husband was a bit surprised to be sitting down to a big plate of salad last night. However he loved it and was happy there were leftovers tonight! Adding cooked quinoa amps it up to a very protein rich salad too. Thank you once again.
Once again, it was fantastic. Fresh and vibrant taste – and so perfect for a summer evening. Loved every bite.
Simply restaurant quality. It was fresh and perfect for a summer evening.
We did not have cabbage but had iceberg lettuce. Wow. Flavor explosion from the herbs and dressing. Spot on.
Thank you, Jenn. Cannot wait to have it next week.
I’ve been thinking of making this for a good while but I honestly have an aversion to the store cooked chicken. I keep tasting something really artificial in them. It’s maybe just me but that’s the way it is😔 what other chicken portions could I use? Could I steam an entire chicken? I have a Miele steam oven. Just doing my grocery list and so far on the menu are your Vietnamese meatballs, black bean salad and roasted beet salad. The entire family enjoys your recipes. It’s always is this One Upon a Chef or the Aussie lady (Nagy tin eats – she’s terrific too)
Marjory🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦
So glad you like the recipes! You could prepare the chicken as indicated in this recipe. Hope that helps! 🙂
I’ve made this probably 10 times and each time it is a huge hit. It is my go-to throw together salad when I need to have dinner on the table in 15 minutes. I vary the vegetable ingredients based on what I have. I also have doubled the recipe and kept the dressing in the fridge for several days (let’s be honest, several weeks…..) and it’s been fine. The flavor of the dressing is mouth-wateringly delicious, the crunch of the veggies is light and the peanuts add just the right amount of flavor. I’ve done this mostly with rotisserie chicken but I’ve also done pan fried tofu and shrimp and it’s equally good.
Been making your recipes for the past 3 nights and you’re 3 for 3! Multiplied this one by 1.5 (3 adults, two kids) added some chopped basil (maybe 1/4 cup) that I had wallowing away in the veg drawer, kept the sugar to equivalent of 1X the recipe, replaced 1 tbsp of veg oil w toasted sesame oil. ‘Twas a hit. Thanks!
OMG, this is salad is absolute perfection!! The flavor profile is spot-on authentic like what you’d get at a real mom-and-pop Vietnamese restaurant. I think using a legit fish sauce is key (Viet Huong “Three Crabs” brand is my favorite). The crunchy textures are so refreshing, too.
The only change I made was that I used boneless skinless chicken thighs poached in some chicken broth and then shredded because my grocery store was out of rotisserie chicken. Thanks for the amazing recipe!
Hi Jenn sorry for another question! Do you typically use the whole head of cabbage because i measured 4 cups shredded out and there is a lot leftover of the cabbage?
You must’ve had a big head of cabbage! I’d just use 4 cups of it. 🙂
Hi Jenn
I am curious could i use the pre bagged asain salad blend, our grocery stores do not hav any green cabbage except this blend? Thanks so much,
Your recipes are amazing!
Sure, Melissa, I think you could get away with that. Enjoy!