Vietnamese Chicken Salad
A fresh, easy salad with Vietnamese flavors. Quickly marinated chicken thighs cook easily under the broiler, in a pan or on the grill. Served over crunchy vegetables and herbs with a tangy dressing and topped with peanuts. A great summer time meal when you don't want to spend too much time in a hot kitchen.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Keyword: asian chicken, chicken recipe, easy chicken, fresh salads, vietnamese chicken salad
Yield: 4
For the Marinade/Dressing (makes about 1 1/4 cups)
- 2/3 cup (165 ml) fresh lime juice (6 medium limes)
- zest of 1 lime
- 1/3 cup (35 g) sugar
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) fish sauce
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tsp ginger, minced
- 2 tsp sambal or sriracha hot sauce (optional)
For the Salad
- 1.5 pounds chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
- 1 cup carrots (peeled and julienned) (about 2 medium)
- 1 large english cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup watermelon radish, thinly sliced (or use regular radishes)
- 1/2 cup mint leaves (large ones roughly torn)
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
- 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
Marinade/Dressing
In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients for the marinade. Whisk until all the sugar has dissolved.
Reserve 2/3 cup (160ml) separately for dressing the salad.
For the Chicken and Salad
In a plastic bag or small bowl, marinate the chicken with the remaining dressing. Leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes (may be marinated overnight).
When ready to cook chicken, remove from marinade, shaking off excess. To broil: set oven rack on second highest level and preheat broiler on high. Lay chicken on a foil-lined rimmed sheet pan. Broil chicken for 7-10 minuteson the first side. Flip the chicken pieces and broil again for 7-10 minutes, leaving chicken to develop some browning.To pan-cook: heat skillet over medium-high heat. Add a little oil to the pan and cook, flipping often for about 10 minutes. To grill: light a grill for medium-high cooking. Grill chicken for about 10 minutes, flipping often until nice and lightly charred. Rest chicken after cooking for 5 minutes and slice.
In a large bowl, combine all the salad vegetables and herbs, reserving some herbs for garnish. Toss with some of the reserved dressing. Taste and add more as needed. Plate salad and top with chicken slices, peanuts and more herbs.
-salad vegetable substitutions: shredded cabbage or Brussel sprouts, jicama, arugula, chopped romaine lettuce, thinly sliced broccoli stems, celery, daikon radish
-leftover dressing keeps for 2 weeks in refrigerator
-cashews can be substituted for peanuts