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Vietnamese Chicken Salad with Fresh Herbs

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Vietnamese Chicken Salad with Fresh Herbs is made with chicken, lots of slaw like vegetables, mint, cilantro and a traditional homemade Vietnamese dressing.

Ingredients

Scale

DRESSING

  • 2 serrano chili peppers
  • 1/4–1/2 teaspoon Thai chili (optional)*
  • 4 small cloves garlic
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
  • 4 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 6 tablespoons lime juice
  • 6 tablespoons avocado oil

SALAD

  • 16 ounces boneless chicken breasts
  • 6 cups napa cabbage, top third sliced*
  • 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and julienned or shredded (about 2 cups)
  • 1 small cucumber, seeds removed, thinly sliced in half moons (about 1 cup)
  • 1/2 cup scallions green part only, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup mint leaves, lightly packed, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup cilantro, tightly packed, coarsely chopped
  • ½ cup roasted cashews, coarsely chopped

Instructions

DRESSING

  1. Thinly slice the serranos and set aside.
  2. Chop the Thai chili if using and set aside.
  3. Pulse all the remaining dressing ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
  4. Stir in the sliced serranos and Thai chili.
  5. If you don’t use a processor, mince the garlic and shake dressing ingredients in a jar. Set aside 10 minutes to let flavors meld.

CHICKEN

  1. Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. When the water reaches a rolling boil, add the chicken breasts, turn heat off, and cover with a tight-fitting lid.
  2. Let the chicken sit for 25-30 minutes – while it’s cooking, you can prep the other ingredients.
  3. Remove from water, let cool slightly, and shred with two forks.
  4. Pour a small amount of the prepared dressing on the chicken to give it flavor and set aside or refrigerate until ready to use.

VEGETABLES

  1. Use only the top 2/3 of the napa cabbage.  Make 2 horizontal cuts, then thinly slice vertically.
  2. Cut red pepper in half, remove seeds and ribs, thinly slice, lengthwise.
  3. Julienne the carrots using a julienne tool or shred on a grater.
  4. Remove the seeds from the cucumber and thinly slice.

SALAD

  1. Toss the chicken, vegetables, most of the dressing together.
  2. Let sit 5 minutes to let the vegetables soften.
  3. Add cilantro and mint, mix. Taste and add the rest of the dressing if desired.
  4. Top with cashews and serve.

Notes

If you use serrano chilis and want additional heat add 1/2 teaspoon Thai red chili, seeds removed (soften in hot water if dried) or red pepper flakes.

Green cabbage will work if you can’t find napa cabbage.  Toss it with some dressing and set aside to soften for about 30 minutes before adding rest of ingredients.

If you’re not going to eat all the salad in one sitting only mix the vegetables you are using with the dressing. Leave the rest of the vegetables separate from the dressing and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Store the the chicken separate from the vegetables.

Find it online: https://eatwellenjoylife.com/vietnamese-chicken-salad-with-fresh-herbs/