Vietnamese Chicken Salad will rock your world with flavor! It’s loaded with fresh herbs and vegetables!
If your Halloween weekend was anything like mine, it included plenty of hearty fall foods interspersed with snitching candy and chocolate that you intended for the neighborhood kids. On top of all that, some adult beverages were consumed.
I love hearty fall foods however it’s time for something different and healthy! This Vietnamese-inspired chicken salad is the perfect “time-out.” It sings with flavor and freshness and will rock your chicken salad world!
Vietnamese food is considered to be one of the most healthful cuisines worldwide because of its strong reliance on fresh herbs and vegetables. The cuisine has complex flavors and can seem mysterious, but all the ingredients for this salad are available in any grocery store any time of the year.
This Vietnamese chicken salad starts with chicken marinated in fresh ginger, garlic, lime juice, a bit of oil and fish sauce–a dominant ingredient in Vietnamese cuisine. Fish sauce is made through a fermentation process but don’t let that throw you. The result is quite tasty and you may already be using another fish-based sauce known as Worcestershire. If you are allergic to fish, use a vegan Worcestershire (available at Whole Foods) or soy sauce instead.
The chicken is easy to do on a stovetop grill pan if the weather prevents you from using your outdoor grill. I’m a fan of cast iron grill pans, however, non-stick also works well. Pound the chicken slightly so that it’s an even thickness. Place on a grill pan that’s been preheated over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook approximately five minutes per side. The chicken is cooked through when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
The dressing has Serrano peppers, which look similar to a jalapeno but pack more heat. They are not as fleshy as a jalapeno, which makes them ideal to use raw in sauces and dressings.
For the two of us, I like to purchase pre-shredded angel hair coleslaw in bags because I don’t want to be faced with finding a use for the remainder of a head of cabbage. Bagged shredded carrots are another great convenience product.
Enjoy!
Vietnamese Chicken Salad
Vietnamese Chicken Salad will rock your world with flavor! It's loaded with fresh herbs and vegetables!
Ingredients
- INGREDIENTS
- CHICKEN
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
- Canola oil or cooking spray
- DRESSING
- 1/3 cup water
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 2 serrano peppers
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger
- TO FINISH SALAD
- 3 cups shredded green cabbage
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 medium English cucumber, halved, seeded and thinly sliced
- 4 scallions, white and light green part only, thinly sliced diagonally
- 1/4 cup mint leaves, torn
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, torn
- Dry roasted peanuts
Directions
- INSTRUCTIONS
- CHICKEN
- Combine ginger, garlic, lime juice, oil, fish sauce and chili garlic sauce in a small bowl.
- Pound chicken breasts slightly so they are an even thickness. Place in a zipper top bag, add marinade and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Preheat a grill pan to medium-high. Add oil or cooking spray, remove chicken from marinade, place chicken on grill pan and cook 5 minutes per side or until cooked through to 165 degrees. Cool, then thinly slice or shred.
- DRESSING
- Combine dressing ingredients in a mini food processor or blender. Process until smooth.
- TO FINISH SALAD
- Combine chicken, cabbage, carrots, cucumber, scallion, mint leaves, cilantro leaves in a bowl. Toss with dressing. Place in bowls or on a plate, top with dry roasted peanuts and serve immediately.
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