One of the most popular Vietnamese salads is Gỏi Gà Bắp Cải. It’s a refreshing salad of hand-shredded chicken, cabbage, carrots, onions and Vietnamese coriander; mixed with a sweet and savory fish sauce dressing; and topped with crunchy roasted peanuts and fried shallots.
There are many variations of this salad and all are equally delicious. What makes this salad stands out are the different textures and flavors. We have sweet, savory, tangy, and crunchy all on one plate. This Vietnamese chicken salad is often served as a side dish to Chicken Congee (Cháo Gà). The cool and vibrant salad is a nice contrast to the otherwise boring hot congee.
Vietnamese Chicken Salad (Goi Ga Bap Cai)
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
One of the most popular Vietnamese salads, this refreshing salad consists of hand-shredded chicken, cabbage, carrots, onions and Vietnamese coriander; mixed with a sweet and savory fish sauce dressing; and topped with crunchy roasted peanuts and fried shallots.
Ingredients
Salad
- 2 chicken breasts (use free-range chickens for a more authentic texture)
- 2 cups shredded green cabbage
- 1 cup shredded red/purple cabbage
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1/4 cup white or yellow onion (slice thin then soak in ice water to remove some of the pungent taste)
- 1/2 cup Vietnamese coriander leaves
- Chopped roasted peanuts
- Fried shallots
Dressing
- 4 tablespoons fish sauce
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 garlic cloves (mince)
- 1 chili pepper (mince)
Instructions
- Cook the chicken and shred: In a medium pot, add enough water to cover the chicken breasts. Bring the pot to a boil then add chicken. Cook for 15 minutes on medium-high heat. Remove chicken and allow to cool. Shred by hand into long strips and set aside.
- Prepare the dressing: Mix together fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, garlic, and chili pepper. Add a little bit of the dressing to the shredded chicken. Toss to combine.
- Mix it all together: In a medium bowl, mix together chicken, green cabbage, red/purple cabbage, carrots, onions, and half of the coriander leaves. Add remaining dressing to the salad. Toss to combine.
- Garnish and serve: Top the salad with remaining coriander leaves for a nice pop of color, chopped roasted peanuts and fried shallots.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: side dish, appetizer
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: asian, vietnamese
