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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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.
Deb go follow a low sodium blog then. This comment was unnecessary and rude. Jen makes amazingly delicious recipes and if you want advice about possible ways to lower the sodium, then ask kindly or don’t comment at all.
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!