Chicken salads can be so dull… but not when it’s Vietnamese-style! This slaw-like Vietnamese Chicken Salad is everything you love about Vietnamese food: Fresh and bright, yet full of flavour. Tip: Don’t skimp on the herbs or peanuts. They really bring the dish to life with freshness and texture!
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Welcome to Day 10 of the inaugural Holiday Salad Marathon, a series where I’m doing the polar opposite of the usual sugar-loaded baking countdowns out there: I’m bringing you a new salad recipe every day through to Christmas Eve!
Today, it’s a salad that’s an ode to summer!
Vietnamese Chicken Salad
While this exact salad is not strictly authentic, the flavours, texture and spirit of the dish I drew heavily from traditional Vietnamese food. All across Vietnam you see these shredded “slaw-style” salads like green papaya salad and banana blossom salad, loaded with fresh herbs, compared to green leafy salads common in Western cuisine.
And similarly it is with the Nuoc Cham salad dressing that I’m using here. This is the fish sauce-based lime dressing spiked with finely chopped garlic and chilli that the Vietnamese use for literally everything. And that is no exaggeration! Dipping sauce, drizzling, dressing, sauce for meats, noodle bowls… (See it in action here and here and here).
And the most wonderful thing about this salad, like most Vietnamese food? It’s light and fresh and yet SO GOOD it doesn’t even register that it’s actually incredibly healthy!
What you need for Vietnamese Chicken Salad
Here’s what you need for this chicken salad:
Just a note on some of the ingredients:
Chicken – Just using a store bought roast chicken for convenience here. Handy for hot summer nights! Otherwise, poached chicken is perfect.
Cucumber – Two short (Lebanese) or one long one (continental/English/telegraph);
Peanuts – Peanuts are best and most traditional but you can use cashews too. Sunflower seeds or pepitas would be lovely too!
Fresh mint and coriander/cilantro – You really don’t want to skip the herbs. Vietnamese cuisine treats herbs almost as a vegetable itself, such an essential part of the foods they are! I use ordinary mint here not Vietnamese mint (which has a bit of a peppery flavour and is a bit much when used in large volumes like I do here); and
Wombok / Chinese Cabbage (aka Napa Cabbage) – As recently used in Chang’s Crispy Noodle Salad (possibly Australia’s favourite salad!), this is ideal for slaw-type salads because it’s softer and juicier than regular cabbage like what you use for Coleslaw. The latter needs to be left to wilt so you don’t have pokey bits of cabbage flicking all around your mouth when you eat it. Chinese cabbage on the other hand is good to eat from the dress-go. (Yeah. I went there. Sorry.) The texture is somewhere between traditional stiffer green cabbage, and soft leafy greens.
You will need half a giant one or a full small one because because I only like to use the top 2/3 that holds (mostly) leafy bits. The bottom 1/3 or so is a bit too crunchy with stems, so the texture doesn’t meld as well with the rest of the salad. I leave it for use in stir fries and noodles.
Here is how I cut the cabbage: Two slits then finely shred. Fast and neat!
Vietnamese Salad Dressing
Here’s what you need for the Vietnamese Nuoc Cham salad dressing:
As mentioned above, this is a salad dressing form of Nuoc Cham, the Vietnamese mother-sauce that you will see used in virtually everything in Vietnam! Everybody has their own recipe and there are subtle differences depending on intended use, but the essentials in it are: Fish sauce (rather than soy sauce), sugar, garlic, chilli and something sour – either lime juice or rice vinegar or a combination of both.
Fish sauce
This is the primary sauce used in Vietnamese cooking to add salt, savour and flavour into dishes, rather than soy sauce which is common in some other Asian cuisines.
Made from fermented anchovies, it packs a punch of umami like soy sauce. Yes, the smell is strong and it is fishy-tasting in plain raw form! When cooked or diluted and mixed with other elements, that funk fades away and leaves behind incredible rich and savoury taste in anything it is used (like this reader favourite Vietnamese Pork Bowls).
When used in dressings, you really need to be careful to ensure the fishy flavour is balanced and diluted enough by the other flavours in the dressing. Many people find very traditional Vietnamese salad dressing recipes a bit too fishy!
So in this case, I’ve dialled the fish sauce down, using just enough so we have great savoury flavour in the dressing but people rarely pick that there is fish sauce in it.
How to make Vietnamese Chicken Salad
There’s a bit of chopping involved here to get everything into shredded/baton shaped form. But it’s worth it! The slaw-like texture is so great here – it holds the dressing like a mop!
By the way, if you don’t have a carrot shredding tool (as pictured above), just grate it using a standard box grater.
How to serve it
Having meat included and on sheer bulk, this is a salad that’s intended to be a meal. It makes a big bowl that will easily serve 3 hungry adults, or 4 normal servings. And it’s satisfying because it’s quite a “dense” salad because the shredded vegetables pack down, slaw-style, rather than being a deceptively large mound of fluffy leafy greens.
So you won’t be starving 30 minutes after eating this. It’s actually a filling meal. Healthy and delicious and filling? That’s a food trifecta, right there! – Nagi x
PS. If you skipped the chicken, this would make a terrific side salad for anything Asian. Otherwise another great meatless, Asian-style option is My Favourite Quinoa Salad.
What is the Holiday Salad Marathon?
This is my inaugural Christmas recipe countdown where I am sharing 30 salad recipes in a row until Christmas Eve – something completely different to people’s usual baking countdowns!
These salads are in addition to my regular 3 new recipes a week. Because aren’t you bored of the usual tomato-cucumber-lettuce garden salad routine??
Click here to see all the Holiday Salad Marathon recipes to date, or sign up for instant updates and you’ll receive a free email alert whenever I publish a new salad! 🙂
Watch how to make it
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
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Vietnamese Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Salad:
- 350g/12oz cooked chicken , cut into thin batons (2 large cooked breasts, Note 1)
- 6 heaped cups wombok cabbage (Napa cabbage), finely shredded (Note 2)
- 1/2 red onion , very finely sliced (so it’s floppy)
- 1 red capsicum / bell pepper , finely sliced into thin batons
- 2 cucumbers , remove seeds then finely sliced into half moons (or 1 long continental/English cucumber)
- 1 large carrot , peeled then julienned (I use a shredder)
- 1 large chilli , deseeded then julienned, optional (Note 3)
- 1 cup (tightly packed) mint leaves , large leaves roughly torn by hand (Note 4)
- 1 cup (tightly packed) coriander/cilantro leaves (Note 4)
Dressing:
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup fish sauce (sub light or all purpose soy sauce)
- 1/4 cup canola oil (or vegetable, grapeseed, peanut)
- 1 tbsp white sugar
- 1 large garlic clove , very finely minced
- 2 tsp red chilli , deseeded then very finely minced (birds eye or Thai Red Chilli best, Note 3)
Finishing:
- 1/2 cup peanuts, roasted unsalted , finely chopped (~1/3 cup once chopped, Note 5)
Instructions
- Dressing: Shake Dressing ingredients in a jar. Set aside 10 minutes to let flavours meld.
- Toss: Place all Salad ingredients in a very large bowl. Pour over half the Dressing and toss well. Set aside 5 minutes (veg will soften slightly, making it more "slaw-like").
- Toss again: Just before serving, toss again then add most of the remaining Dressing. Taste then add more Dressing if you want.
- Serve sprinkled with lots of peanuts! (Note 6)
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
A familiar sight – Geoff, the local who lives at the dog park (the unofficial caretaker!), sampling some recipes I’m working on. And Dozer, hot on his heels!
Oh man this was DELICIOUS!!! I made it into rice paper rolls and the whole family INHALED them. Thanks for another dinner winner!
That’s a great idea Margaret!! N x
This dish was so fresh and delicious, left overs for lunch tomorrow. Another of yours that is going to be a regular in our house.
Just finished a huge bowl of this delicious salad. Prepped the veggies yesterday and added last night’s leftover roast chicken with the herbs today. I’ve portioned it into individual containers for my husband and I for lunches then added some of the dressing and peanuts to my dinner time serving only to avoid sogginess. Many thanks for this healthy yummy recipe.
Excellent summer dinner! Thanks
Another winner! This salad turned out beautifully. As I had abundant kale and spinach in the garden, I used them instead of the cabbage (marinated the kale as per pomegranate salad). It was delicious – a lovely dresssing and the peanuts absolutely make it. Thank you again Nagi – I look forward to all your emails and Dozer updates!
Made this last night but with leftover turkey from Thanksgiving (in Florida). Was delicious! Love the crunchy freshness. It’s visually lovely too. Great use for my crazy exuberant mint that I grow in a pot. Love your website. Thank you, from a fellow Aussie.
Hi Nagi,
I would like to substitute the chicken for tofu. Would you recommend a marinade for the tofu?
I made this with leftover turkey, too (Northern New York) It was a great addition to my usual turkey leftover recipes. Enjoy your website. Best to Dozer.
Great idea Helen!!! N x
I’m a member of the Some Like It Hot club. Your instructions explain how to lessen the heat but not how to increase it. Also, it’s very expensive to buy fresh mint in quantity. Just saying.
Aside from all that, YUM!!!
Hi Hollis, increasing the heat is easy – add more chilli!! Where are you located? Mint is inexpensive here and also super easy to grow – it’s like a weed! N x
I’m in Florida, USA. My grocery store sells fresh herbs in tiny plastic containers, except for parsley and cilantro, which are abundant. I have a black thumb: everything I try to grow dies, and my house is sunless, indoors and out (go figure, Florida, right?). I probably need to find a farmer’s market open on weekday afternoons, when I can get there. I see no other option.
As to chilies, should I stick with fresh or dried, Fresno or Serrano or Thai or Sichuan? I have all of those — which do you suggest?
Thank you for all your knowledge and wonderful recipes. My dream is to be a good cook and you are so helpful and inspire me.
Oh how sweet Laura – it’s never to late to learn!! N x
Another winner…thanks
Thanks so much Lyn!! N x
Muy buena idea hacer una marathon de ensaladas para navidad.
Perfect before we all over indulge!! N x
US seems to often be having an E coli scare with romaine lettuce around the holidays.
These are great green-salad alternatives!
Oh no!! You can always sub any other green in any salad, rocket and baby spinach are a great fall back too! N x
Love your posts. The viet. purple mint available in asian markets in Fl. is much milder mint flavor. A great viet. cook & restaurant owner used 7up for the sugar & some citrus flavor in her dipping sauce. It works quite well. Keep up the good work. Your posts always brighten my day.
Thanks so much Bill – you can always use Vietnamese mint, I find it’s not always available here so either works fine! N x
Viet. mint is quite easy to grow. When you get some mint put 2 or 3 stems in a glass 1/2 full of tap water. It will start roots in a week or so. Transfer to a small pot in full sun to moderate shade. Like any mint it loves “hair cuts”. After it goes to seed, it will keep coming back as new seedlings in the pot & around your patio. Good luck. Bill
Does this recipe need everyday mint or Vietnamese mint? Can’t wait to make it!
Hi Lesley – just everyday mint! Sorry, I should have specified 🙂 Vietnamese mint will be a bit much in the volume required for this recipe I think! But if you only have Vietnamese mint (lucky you!), just cut it down by half. N x
Yummy salad perfect for the cold weather.
As always Dozer warms my ❤
Oh thanks so much Gillian 🙂 N x
I found it! Tap on picture and it takes you there!
“Get the recipe” takes you to the gingerbread men🙄😁
These things happen…. Lol
Just keeping everyone their toes Lesley!! N x
Fantastic recipe. I was skeptical a salad could be filling but i stand corrected. The only thing is, next time j will chop veggies and make dressing ahead as it took a long time to prep this salad so we had dinner later than usual. Great salad for the holidays. Thank you so much for sharing.
Hmm.. if you see an old guy in a white i40 parked alongside Geoff’s …. that will be me driving up from Melbourne to cadge some Nagi handouts that I warrant are better than anything in my kitchen. And I’ll bring Jazzy too, who is 8 on the 4th and from memory, right in the Dozer ball-park – (so to speak…)
Good on you N.
PS: I have to admit to not-so-occasional laziness which replaces the wombok etc with a $2 packet of Woolies coleslaw mix,one of my Swiss army pocketknife blades. Gets turned into Indian veg dishes, okonomiyaki, v/salad..et al.
😂 There’s plenty of food to go around Ish!!! I’ll admit that the pre packages slaw mix from woolies is amazingly handy for a quick stir fry or salad – not lazy at all when it’s just so convenient!! N x
I don’t like mint. What would you replace it with or would you just leave it out all together?
Hi Kathy! No problems – just leave it out and increase the coriander/cilantro by an extra 50%! This will add extra herb fresh flavour to make up for the loss of mint 🙂 N x
Thank you so much!
Before the purists recoil in horror, let me jump in and say “Leave it out if you don’t like it” – you make food to enjoy, not just to be authentic.
Like my daughter’s partner does not like coriander – and that’s heresy to me – but when I cook for them, I leave it out. Life’s too short to get precious about food… 👌
There are those unfortunates for whom cilantro tastes like soap. This is due to a biochemical reaction, not just a personal whim. Poor them, say I. Hopefully, one day there will be a cure!
Thank you.
Agree Ish! No one recoiling in horror here 🙂 I would just increase the coriander/cilantro by an extra 50%! N x
Forgot to add, I went through the recipe search to find it.
Yup going to make this soon.
I can’t open this Vietnamese salad from your email today,
It goes to gingerbread men !
does anyone else have the problem .
I found it! Tape on picture and it takes you there!
“Get the recipe” takes you to the gingerbread men🙄😁
These things happen….
Yes, Pam – it took me two ‘go’s to reach the correct recipe . . . Nagi: just being honest so the glitch can be fixed 🙂 !
Oh my everyone should have a juilliene grater that you used…I have one since my wedding in 1972…one of the best quality kitchen tools I have
They are SO handy aren’t they Ursula, saves so much time!! N x