Vietnamese Chicken Salad
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Top pick: This Vietnamese chicken salad is fresh, crunchy, and bursting with flavor, with tender chicken, crisp veggies, fresh herbs, and peanuts tossed in a bright, tangy dressing.
As much as I love salad as a meal, it’s not usually enough for my husband, who is more of a protein-and-two-sides kind of guy. However, this Vietnamese chicken salad recipe, inspired by the classic Vietnamese dish gỏi gà, is one I can get away with serving for dinner. It’s satisfying and packed with bright, spicy Southeast Asian flavors. Plus, it’s a breeze to make. Just shred a rotisserie chicken, chop some veggies, whisk the dressing, and dinner is done.
The recipe makes enough for two generous main course salads, and if you want to round out the meal, just add some crispy spring rolls or summer rolls on the side.
“Delicious and the perfect light meal for a warm summer night!”
What You’ll Need To Make Vietnamese Chicken Salad
- Cooked Shredded Chicken: Turns the salad into a satisfying main dish. A store-bought rotisserie chicken makes this especially quick and easy to pull together.
- Napa Cabbage, Scallions, Carrots & Red Bell Pepper: Makes up the crisp, colorful base of the salad, with a mix of crunch, mild oniony bite, and natural sweetness.
- Fresh Mint & Cilantro: Bring plenty of freshness and the distinctive herbal notes that give the salad its Vietnamese character.
- Peanuts: Add salty crunch and a nutty finish; sprinkle them on just before serving so they stay crisp.
- Fresh Lime Juice & Sugar: Give the dressing its sweet-tart balance, with plenty of brightness from the fresh lime.
- Fish Sauce: Brings the salty, savory depth that gives the dressing its distinctly Vietnamese character. Look for a brand imported from Thailand or Vietnam if possible. Fish sauce smells quite assertive on its own, but mellows considerably once combined with the other dressing ingredients
- Sriracha, Garlic & Vegetable Oil: Sriracha adds gentle heat, garlic gives the dressing a fresh punch, and the neutral oil rounds everything out and helps it coat the chicken and vegetables evenly.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Vietnamese Chicken Salad
Combine the salad ingredients: Toss together the vegetables, herbs, and chicken, leaving the peanuts out for now. They’ll go on at the end so they stay crunchy.
Make the dressing: Whisk or shake the dressing until well combined and the sugar is completely dissolved. Give it a quick stir or shake again before using, as some of the ingredients may settle as it sits.
Dress the salad: Add the dressing right before serving and toss until everything is evenly coated, then taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Waiting until the last minute to incorporate it keeps the veggies crisp and prevents the herbs from wilting.
Serve: Transfer the salad to a serving bowl and scatter the peanuts over the top. Serve cold. If you’d like to get ahead, the vegetables, chicken, and dressing can be prepped in advance and refrigerated separately; toss everything together with the herbs and peanuts just before serving.
More Asian Salad Recipes You’ll Love
Vietnamese Chicken Salad
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.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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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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.
Thank you for the tip about using pan fried tofu or shrimp. I will definitely give the substitutions a try!
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!