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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Wow, I made this salad for supper today, and it was absolutely delicious! I will definitely be making it again!
Such a great salad – it’s on repeat in our house. Not a huge cabbage fan so I substitute romaine lettuce. The dressing is divine!
Jen,
I’m going to make this soon. I sent the recipe to my Vietnamese friend who said it’s exactly how she’d make it. Then she added that in Vietnam, they serve it with thin puffed rice crackers and scoop up the salad with them. Her words: “In Vietnam they grill rice paper over charcoal and it would puff up like a supersized charger plate. You would break off pieces to spoon up the coleslaw and get a crunch with every bite.”
She also sent me a photo of some rice crackers that I will try to find in my local Asian market. Galil is the brand.
Your instructions are so nice I thought maybe you would give the home made ones a go 🙏😊.
This was one of the most delicious salads I’ve ever had! The flavors were fresh and vibrant and I can’t wait until lunch tomorrow to have it again!
We didn’t have sriracha so used a chili garlic condiment and it was amazing. The salad was easy and full of great texture and flavor!
Amazing. I didn’t have mint. Added more sriracha and lime but otherwise outstanding! Kudos!
Thanks for the recipe!
Hi! Can I mix all the ingredients in a bowl except peanut and dressing the night before and chill in the fridge? I will serve the peanuts and drizzle in the dressing just before serving? Thanks
Hi Teo, yes, that should be fine. I’d put all the salad ingredients in a bowl sort of separate (like in the first photo in the step-by-step instructions) and refrigerate. Then toss everything together at the last minute with the dressing.
Fabulous Vietnamese flavor. Both my husband and I loved it.
Absolutely delicious! Thank you for another great recipe. …My only question is if I chose not to include the sugar in the dressing and used olive oil instead of vegetable oil, how much would the flavor of the dressing be compromised?
Hi Stephanie, so glad you liked it! Vegetable oil is more neutral in flavor than olive oil; that’s why I use that in salad dressings, but if you’d prefer to use olive oil, that’s fine. And regarding the sugar, the dressing would be pretty tart and salty without it; I suggest you reduce it instead of omitting it. Hope that helps!
OMG – soooo good! I mistakenly bought Oyster Sauce instead of Fish Sauce so I used the Oyster Sauce, added 1 Tbsp water and omitted the sugar. Can’t wait to try it with Fish Sauce. I got 4 generous portions from 1 recipe.
Loved this salad! So much flavor. Will definitely make this again & again. However, will only put dressing on the amount to be consumed immediately. There was a huge decline in flavor the next day.