Vietnamese-Inspired Shredded Chicken Salad

Whether you’re doing a January Whole30 or headed back to the office after months of working from home, this is a great make-and-take lunch that stays well in the fridge the whole week. Inspired by Goi Ga, this shredded-chicken salad is bright and crunchy with three kinds of cabbage, lots of herbs, toasted cashews, and rotisserie chicken to make it easy.

There’s a lot of chopping and shredding in the beginning, but this is mostly assembly. If you have a mandolin and/or a food processor with a shredding attachment, this will be pretty quick. 

As is, when pre-dressed; the salad lasts about 3 days in the fridge. The cabbage does lose a bit of its crunch, and the salt from the fish sauce makes the veggies release a bit of water. To make it last for about a week of lunches, keep the dressing in the fridge and mix together the chicken, veg and herbs. When you’re ready to serve it, dress it on the spot. 

If you are not doing the Whole30, add about 2 teaspoons of coconut sugar to the dressing to help balance out the salt and acid. 

Vietnamese Inspired Shredded Chicken Salad

Serves: 4 people

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4.84 from 6 votes

Total Time45 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• ½ small red onion - very thinly sliced
• FOR THE DRESSING:
• ¼ cup avocado oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 inch nub ginger - finely grated
• 1 Fresno chile - thinly sliced
• 1 tsp. lime zest
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice - about the juice of one lime
• 1 Tbsp. fresh orange juice
• 1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. coconut aminos
• 1 Tbsp. fish sauce – I use Red Boat brand
• FOR THE SALAD:
• 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 4 cups very thinly shredded napa cabbage
• 2 cups very thinly shredded purple cabbage
• 2 cups very thinly shredded green cabbage
• 2 medium carrots - julienned
• 1 red bell pepper - cut into matchsticks
• 1 cup packed cilantro - chopped plus more for garnish
• 1 cup packed mint - chopped plus more for garnish
• ½ cup finely chopped toasted cashews
• Lime wedges

Instructions

• In a large mixing bowl, add the rice wine vinegar and the onions. Mix, making sure the onions are all coated in a bit of vinegar. Set aside to pickle while you prepare the rest.
• FOR THE DRESSING:
• In a medium saucepan, add the avocado oil. Turn the heat to medium high and heat the oil until it is hot but not smoking. Add the garlic, ginger, and Fresno chile to a wide mouth mason jar. Carefully, pour the hot oil over the aromatics in the jar. Give it a stir, and set aside, allowing the flavors to bloom, about three minutes. Once the oil has cooled a bit, add the lime zest, juice, orange juice, rice wine vinegar, coconut aminos, and fish sauce. Cover the jar with a lid and shake the jar vigorously to combine. Set aside.
• FOR THE SALAD:
• In a medium bowl, add the shredded chicken and a few tablespoons of dressing. Mix to combine. Rotisserie chicken can be a bit dry, so this helps the chicken absorb some of flavor before adding it to the veggies.
• In the large mixing bowl with the pickled onions, add the napa cabbage, purple cabbage, green cabbage, shredded carrots, and red bell pepper. Add a tablespoon of dressing, and using tongs, really massage it into the greens, Add in the dressed chicken, and a bit more dressing. Continue to toss until everything is combined well. Add in the herbs, give it another toss, and taste for seasoning.
• To serve, top with a generous amount of toasted cashews and lime wedges. Enjoy!