Easy Vietnamese Chicken Salad with Nuoc Cham Dressing

This Vietnamese chicken salad was inspired by a little restaurant I visited in Colorado over the summer - locals insisted I “get the Vietnamese Chicken Salad,” and they weren’t wrong. Fresh, light, and layered with flavor, that Vietnamese cuisine was instantly memorable. I knew I had to recreate it at home. My version might not be identical, but it’s quickly become a new favorite in our house with its balance of tangy lime fish sauce dressing, crunchy cabbage, and fresh herbs. This healthy Vietnamese salad is perfect for lunch, a light dinner, or meal prep.

Prep Time10

Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Author: Pamela

Ingredients

Dressing

1 small red chili finely chopped or ½ large jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
2 medium garlic cloves minced
1 ½ Tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar this is rice vinegar without sugar and salt
1 ½ Tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 Tablespoons fish sauce can swap in 1 TBS regular soy sauce or tamari, but it’s not quite the same
1-2 Tablespoons honey agave or sugar, as you like
1 ½ Tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ Tablespoons water

Salad

½ head of Napa cabbage thinly sliced, about 6-7 cups (or a combination of Napa cabbage and iceberg lettuce)
1 cup julienned carrots or grated if easier
1 sweet bell pepper cut into matchsticks
2 cooked chicken breasts shredded*
½ cup fresh mint chopped or torn by hand
½ cup fresh cilantro chopped (swap in parsley or basil if you don’t like cilantro)
pickled red onions or shallots or purchased crispy onions I stocked up during Thanksgiving!
⅓ cup chopped roasted and salted peanuts omit if you are nut free

Instructions

Mix dressing in a jar or a bowl. Set aside.
In a large shallow bowl or platter, place all salad ingredients except the peanuts. Toss with the dressing and garnish with peanuts.

Notes

*I demonstrate cooking chicken in a slow cooker at LOW for 5-6 hours. But you can poach it or take it from a rotisserie chicken or leftover roasted chicken.

You can swap in cucumbers or different pickled vegetables

To make it vegan: wap crispy tofu cubes or cooked shelled edamame for chicken.

Nutrition