Vietnamese chicken salad with chili lime dressing

Vietnamese chicken salad with cabbage and chili lime vinaigrette in a glass bowl.

5 from 5 votes

Vietnamese chicken salad with chili lime dressing

Vietnamese chicken salad with cilantro chili lime dressing is fresh and delicious. It's the perfect light and refreshing lunch or dinner, and it's great for meal prepping.

Prep Time18

Cook Time12

Total Time30

Course: Salads

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Servings: servings

Calories: 292kcal

Author: Cheryl Bennett

Ingredients

For the dressing

3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 limes zest and juice
1 shallot finely sliced
1 clove garlic minced
1 ½ tablespoons sugar
1 small red Thai chili green if you can't find red, minced
¼ cup neutral oil vegetable, grapeseed, canola
salt and black pepper to taste

For the Vietnamese chicken salad

6 cups Green cabbage or Napa cabbage about 3/4 of a head
3 medium carrots peeled and grated
10 ounces cooked chicken breasts shredded, about 2 chicken breasts *see notes
½ cup salted peanuts roughly chopped
1 bunch scallions green onion, sliced on bias
1 cup snow peas thinly sliced on bias
3 tablespoons cilantro chopped
¼ cup Thai basil chopped (sub regular basil if you can't find, or omit)
¼ cup mint chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Make the chili lime dressing

Combine rice vinegar, lime zest and juice, shallot, chili pepper and garlic in a small bowl. Let this sit for 10 - 15 minutes, then add remaining ingredients and give it a whisk.
Let the dressing sit for an additional 10 - 15 minutes, while you are making the salad. Set aside until ready to use.

Make the Vietnamese chicken salad

Shred the cabbage and carrots in the food processor, or grate carrots on box grater and thinly slice cabbage. Add to large mixing bowl.
Add shredded chicken, scallions, snow peas, herbs, salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
Pour dressing over and mix thoroughly to coat. Sprinkle chopped peanuts on top. Serve immediately.

Notes

If you are serving this salad later, or meal prepping, DO NOT add dressing. Keep it separate and mix just before eating. The acid will turn the herbs dark and make the mixture soggy. The crunch is the best part of this salad!
I like a combination of green cabbage and Napa cabbage. This isn't the "traditional" way of making this salad, but it gives it a nice contrast in textures. The green cabbage is very crunchy, and the Napa cabbage is more delicate.
To poach chicken breasts: Fill a pot with enough cold water to cover the chicken by a couple of inches, about 4 cups. Add 2 chicken breasts and 2 tablespoons of kosher salt (Diamond Crystal is my preferred brand). Then bring the pot to a simmer and cook chicken for 10 - 12 minutes. *You can check the temp of the chicken to make sure it is cooked though, it should be between 160° - 165°F. Remove from the pot, and let it rest for a few minutes before shredding.
The serving size is for 6 "normal" servings, or 4 hungry adults who actually eat.

Nutrition