Vietnamese Chicken Salad 🥗🥕🥒 is loaded with FRESH flavor, crunchy veggies, tender chicken, and a simple yet flavorful lime and chili dressing! Bright flavor galore in this healthy, quick, easy salad that eats like a main course and keeps you full and satisfied thanks to it being high protein and high fiber.
Easy Vietnamese Chicken Salad Recipe
- Vietnamese restaurant-inspired. I’ve been fortunate to sample my share of Vietnamese food in restaurants over the years, and I love how many dishes focus on big flavors but are light and fresh. By using fresh herbs, seasonings, and flavorful dressings, food is satisfying without being heavy.
- Great for using leftover chicken. Or not. This is the time to put your leftover chicken to use whether it’s baked chicken, grilled chicken, or rotisserie chicken, it’s all good here. But if you don’t have leftover chicken on hand, make poached chicken in minutes that you can shred or cube and use.
- Fast, easy, flexible. I eat a salad daily because it does a body good. But also because salads are fast, easy, and easy to customize based on what you have on hand. If you have extra veggies in your fridge to use up, toss them right into this salad. Think of this as a jumping off point, not set-in-stone.
- Fresh, vibrant, satisfying. Crisp cabbage, carrots, cucumber, fresh herbs including cilantro, mint or basil, along with a lime and chili sauce dressing, and protein from chicken and peanuts, it’s savory, tangy, and just a little sweet. And eats like a meal to keep you satisfied and full thanks to being high protein and high fiber.
Ingredients in Vietnamese Chicken Cabbage Salad
Vinaigrette: Oil, fresh lime juice, fish sauce, sweet chili garlic sauce, garlic, and sugar to taste.
Chicken: You’ll want to use about 2 cups cooked chicken – more if you’re trying to amp up the protein. I prefer boneless skinless chicken breasts but boneless chicken thighs are fine. You can use leftover baked chicken, grilled chicken, rotisserie chicken, or poach chicken quickly.
Veggies: Shredded green cabbage, English cucumber, carrots, red onion. You can always mix-and-match with red cabbage, sugar snap peas, snow peas, shelled edamame, other shredded greens such as kale or Romaine. Salads are flexible and a great way to incorporate vegetables that you may have on hand.
Herbs: Fresh mint leaves, fresh cilantro leaves, fresh basil, or any combo of herbs are welcome.
Garnishes: Roasted peanuts, fried onions are optional for crunch, and if you want some heat, try red chili flakes or chili crunch.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Vietnamese Chicken Salad
- Vinaigrette: Whisk together all the ingredients, taste, and adjust the flavor balance as desired.
- Assemble the Salad: Combine the chicken, veggies, and herbs in a large bowl.
- Dress and Toss: Drizzle the vinaigrette and toss well to combine.
- Garnish and Serve: Garnish as desired and serve as-is or with some of the serving suggestions I mention below.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for step-by-step photos and process shots of the cooking process.
Vietnamese Chicken Salad
Equipment
- Medium Bowl
Ingredients
Salad
- 2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded or cubed (use leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken, or poach chicken breasts quickly)
- 4 cups finely shredded green cabbage, (use a large bag of coleslaw mix to save time; ok to sub with some red cabbage along with the green)
- 1 large English cucumber, diced small (regular cucumber may be substituted; peel or seed it as desired)
- 1 large carrot, peeled; julienned or shredded (use pre-shredded carrots to save time, about 3/4 cup or as desired)
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced (run under cold water and wring out in paper towels to remove some of the ‘bite’ if desired)
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves, torn or roughly chopped (or about 1/4 cup finely minced mint)
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, torn (loosely packed; or about 1/4 cup finely minced cilantro)
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves, optional (torn or roughly chopped (or about 1/4 cup finely minced basil)
Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons lime juice, freshly squeezed (about 1–2 limes)
- 2-3 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil, grapeseed, canola, or similar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce, or to taste
- 1-3 teaspoons granulated sugar, or to taste (start with 1 tsp and work up as desired)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder, (or 1 garlic clove, finely minced)
- ½ teaspoon salt, or more to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
Garnishes
- ¼ cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped (I use salted peanuts)
- 2 tablespoons crispy fried onions, optional and to taste
- fresh red chili, thinly sliced; optional and to taste for heat (or red chili flakes, to taste)
Instructions
- Salad: To a large bowl, add all the salad ingredients and toss to combine. Tip – You can easily add more/less of a certain ingredient based on what you have on hand and your preferences. Additional vegetables such as pea pods, sugar snap peas, bok choy, shelled and cooked edamame, radishes, etc. may be added.
- Vinaigrette: To a medium bowl or mason jar with a lid, add all of the ingredients, whisk or seal and shake the jar, taste and check for flavor balance. Flavor Tips – Play with the ingredients and ratios until you get the flavor you like. If you want it more acidic without being more limey, a splash of rice vinegar is great. If it tastes at all flat or boring, it likely needs more salt. If you want additional sweetness, either add additional sugar and/or sweet chili sauce. More spiciness, add dried chili flakes, sambal olek, or a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- Evenly drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad and toss to combine.
- Garnishes: Evenly sprinkle with the peanuts, optional crispy fried onions, and optional chiles for heat, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
©averiecooks.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
what to serve with vietnamese chicken salad
more easy salad recipes
