Vietnamese Chicken Salad

Name: Vietnamese Chicken Salad
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 1 skinless, boneless chicken breast; 3/4 teaspoon chile paste; 1 clove garlic, minced; 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar; 1 tablespoon rice-wine vinegar; 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice; 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce; 3 tablespoons peanut oil; 6 cups savoy cabbage, shredded; 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, julienned; 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, julienned, plus sprigs for garnish; 1 small red onion, thinly sliced lengthwise; 1 fresh red or green small hot chile pepper; 1/2 seedless cucumber, julienned; 2 large carrots, peeled and julienned; 1 red bell pepper, julienned; 1/3 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

Recipe GLPRed88711f66cc79

Vietnamese

Salad

40 min

314 cal

Servings: 4

Stovetop

SNAP eligible

A vibrant, herbaceous salad featuring tender poached chicken tossed with crisp vegetables, fresh herbs, and a tangy-spicy dressing. This refreshing dish combines shredded cabbage, julienned carrots, cucumber, and bell pepper with bright cilantro and mint, all brought together by a savory lime and fish sauce vinaigrette with a touch of chile heat.

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Ingredients

1 skinless, boneless chicken breast

3/4 teaspoon chile paste

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon rice-wine vinegar

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

3 tablespoons peanut oil

6 cups savoy cabbage, shredded

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, julienned

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, julienned, plus sprigs for garnish

1 small red onion, thinly sliced lengthwise

1 fresh red or green small hot chile pepper

1/2 seedless cucumber, julienned

2 large carrots, peeled and julienned

1 red bell pepper, julienned

1/3 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

Directions

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the chicken breast and reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 165°F, about 12-15 minutes. Remove the chicken and let it cool slightly, then shred or thinly slice it.
In a small bowl, combine the minced garlic and chile paste. Add the sugar, rice-wine vinegar, lime juice, and fish sauce, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely.
Whisk the peanut oil into the dressing until well combined.
In a large bowl, combine the shredded cabbage, julienned cucumber, julienned carrots, julienned bell pepper, and thinly sliced red onion.
Add the shredded chicken to the vegetable mixture along with the julienned mint and cilantro leaves.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to coat all ingredients evenly.
Divide the salad among serving plates. Slice the fresh chile pepper thinly and scatter over the top along with the roasted peanuts and cilantro sprigs. Serve immediately.

Comments

Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff4

This is a solid weeknight dinner that checks most boxes, but fish sauce is the real sticking point: it's at Harris Teeter and Kroger banners (Food Lion carries it inconsistently, and Walmart often doesn't stock it), so a Charlotte cook might face a second stop or order online. Ingredients otherwise run about $12–14 for four servings, driven by fresh chicken and the vegetables, which is reasonable. The stated 40 minutes is honest if you're comfortable with knife work; raw vegetables take time to shred and chop fine. The dish reheats poorly—the greens wilt and the dressing separates—so plan to eat it the same night, which limits weeknight practicality if you're banking on leftovers. Cabbage, mint, and cilantro are reliably available at all major chains here, and the formula itself is forgiving and requires no active cooking past the chicken poach.