When it’s hot outside, a cool main course salad is just what is needed. This salad packs in a lot of different flavors, colors and textures.

You begin with a base of cabbage – green or red both work. Add to it carrots, peppers and any other vegetables you have around. I had a small head of broccoli from our CSA which was perfect for this salad. I steamed and blanched it first to ensure it was tender. Add in some chopped or sliced jalapeño pepper – I used one as I wanted flavor but not too much heat. 

Chicken adds protein to this salad. I cooked a few breasts using our sous vide (cooking meat ‘under vacuum’ or at a ‘low temperature for a long time’ in a water bath at a precisely regulated temperature) and then cut it up in small pieces. The nice thing about using a sous vide is that it doesn’t heat up your house. You could also grill some chicken. Don’t want to fuss? Shred the chicken from a rotisserie chicken and you’ll have just the right amount.

The dressing contains fish sauce and garlic for a savory taste plus lime juice (acid) and sugar (sweet). It doesn’t contain any oil and it stands on its own just fine without it. Be sure to take 10 minutes or more to soak the thinly sliced red onion in the dressing as that removes the bit from the onion.

Finish off the salad with some large pieces of basil and cilantro. It makes the salad look pretty and gives it some extra flavor and texture. Just before serving sprinkle chopped peanuts on top.

You can make this salad an hour in advance – add the dressing so that the flavors can develop but wait to sprinkle the peanuts just before serving. I enjoyed leftovers the following day. Since the base is cabbage it held up nicely.

Vietnamese Chicken Salad

 

Vietnamese Chicken Salad
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Recipe type: Main Dish
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • ⅓ cup lime juice
  • 3-1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons white sugar
  • 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ small red onion, halved and very thinly sliced
  • 3 cups shredded cooked chicken (see Notes)
  • ½ medium head green or red cabbage (14 ounces), cored and shredded (about 4 cups)
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and shredded on the large holes of a box grater (about 1 cup)
  • 1 red, orange or yellow pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
  • 1 to 2 medium jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced (depends on your heat tolerance)
  • 1 cup lightly packed fresh basil, torn
  • 1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped
  • ½ cup roasted, salted peanuts, roughly chopped
  • Garnish with lime wedges
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, stir together the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and garlic, until the sugar dissolves. Add the red onion and let stand for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Doing this removes the bite out of the raw onion – don’t skip this step.
  2. In a large bowl, toss together the chicken, cabbage, carrots, red, orange or yellow pepper, jalapeño, basil and cilantro.
  3. Pour the dressing (with onions) over the chicken-cabbage mixture. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to an hour.
  4. Before serving, sprinkle the top of the salad with peanuts.
  5. Serve with lime wedges.
Notes
* 1 cup of shredded chicken is about 6 ounces cooked chicken. You lose about 25% in cooking meat so if you start with 8 ounces it will be about 6 ounces once it’s cooked. An average store-bought rotisserie chicken will yield about 3 cups of shredded meat.
* If you have other vegetables, feel free to add them. I had a small head of broccoli so I steamed/blanched it and cut it up into small pieces.
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Source:  Variation on a recipe from Milk Street