Vietnamese Chicken Salad

Name: Vietnamese Chicken Salad
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 500 g Chicken Breast (Skinless); 1 Carrot (Julienned); 125 ml Rice Wine Vinegar; 5 g Sea Salt Flakes; 30 g Sugar; 1 White Onion (Sliced); 100 g Bean Sprouts (Mung Beans); 100 g White Cabbage (Shredded); 100 g Red Cabbage (Shredded); 15 g Fresh Mint (Torn); 15 g Coriander (Cilantro); 40 g Peanuts (Roasted & Chopped); Fried Shallots (To Serve); 37.5 ml Fish Sauce; 60 ml Water; 47 g Sugar; ½ Lime; 3 Lime Leaves; 1 Garlic Clove (Crushed); 1 Long Red Chilli (Sliced)

PREP

25 mins

COOK

15 mins

SERVES

DIFFICULTY

Medium

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Chef Jack Ovens

Qualified Chef · 1.63M Subscribers

Updated August 2026

This salad is all about texture. Poached chicken, quick-pickled carrot and onion, crunchy cabbage and bean sprouts, all tossed together with a tangy fish sauce dressing.

Resting the chicken in the hot poaching water off the heat, rather than pulling it straight out, is what keeps it moist and tender instead of dry and stringy. It’s a small step that makes a real difference.

Toss it all together with the dressing right before serving, topped with roasted peanuts, fried shallots, and fresh chilli for a proper finish.

Vietnamese Chicken Salad

CHICKEN · SALAD · MEDIUM

Why You'll Love This Vietnamese Chicken Salad

Fresh, crunchy, and packed with flavour

Letting the carrot, onion, and bean sprouts sit in the pickling liquid for the full 10 minutes is what takes the edge off the raw onion and gives the salad its tangy crunch.

Making sure the dressing is completely cold before it goes anywhere near the salad keeps the herbs and cabbage crisp, rather than wilting on contact with a warm dressing.

Roasted peanuts and crispy fried shallots on top add the final bit of crunch that ties the whole thing together.

Vietnamese Chicken Salad

Print Recipe

5 from 4 votes

Prep Time: 25

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 40

Calories: 325kcal

Servings: People

Metric - Imperial

Ingredients

Chicken & Salad

500 g Chicken Breast Skinless
1 Carrot Julienned
125 ml Rice Wine Vinegar
5 g Sea Salt Flakes
30 g Sugar
1 White Onion Sliced
100 g Bean Sprouts Mung Beans
100 g White Cabbage Shredded
100 g Red Cabbage Shredded
15 g Fresh Mint Torn
15 g Coriander (Cilantro)
40 g Peanuts Roasted & Chopped
Fried Shallots To Serve

Vietnamese Dressing

37.5 ml Fish Sauce
60 ml Water
47 g Sugar
½ Lime
3 Lime Leaves
1 Garlic Clove Crushed

Garnish

1 Long Red Chilli Sliced

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Place all of the Vietnamese dressing ingredients into a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a simmer to melt the sugar, remove from the heat, and allow to cool down for 15 minutes before placing in the fridge to cool completely. (Make sure the dressing is cold before pouring it over the salad.)
Roughly chop the peanuts, place them onto the prepared baking tray, and roast for 6-7 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove and allow to cool down.
Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil and add the chicken breasts. Bring back to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the chicken to rest in the water for 6 minutes or until cooked through (internal temperature of 74°C/165°F). Remove and allow to cool slightly.
In the meantime, place the julienned carrot into a mixing bowl. Add the rice wine vinegar, salt and sugar, then mix well to coat the carrot. Add the thinly sliced onion along with the bean sprouts and let sit for 10 minutes to slightly pickle. Drain from the pickling brine and discard the liquid (or keep and reuse it).
Thinly slice the poached chicken into strips and tear into bite-sized pieces. Place the chicken and all of the other salad ingredients into a mixing bowl, except the peanuts and fried shallots. Pour over the cooled Vietnamese dressing and toss well to combine. Serve into bowls or plates and garnish with the peanuts, fried shallots, and sliced red chilli. Dig in.

Chef's Tips

Don't skip resting the chicken in the hot water off the heat — this gentle carryover cooking is what keeps poached chicken breast moist and tender instead of dry and stringy.

Let the pickled carrot, onion and bean sprouts sit the full 10 minutes before draining — this is what takes the edge off the raw onion and gives the salad its characteristic tangy crunch.

Make sure the dressing is completely cold before tossing it through the salad — warm dressing will wilt the herbs and cabbage and take the crunch out of the fresh vegetables.

Storage & Reheating

Best eaten fresh, as the cabbage and herbs will wilt and the peanuts lose their crunch once dressed. If needed, undressed components (chicken, pickled vegetables, cabbage, dressing) can be kept separately in the fridge for up to 2 days and combined just before serving. This salad is served cold or at room temperature and isn't intended to be reheated.

Serving 380gCalories 325kcalCarbohydrates 31.9gProtein 32.2gFat 7.6gSaturated Fat 1.6gPolyunsaturated Fat 2.54gMonounsaturated Fat 3.8gCholesterol 89.3mgSodium 230.67mgPotassium 777.5mgFiber 3.4gSugar 24.3gVitamin A 3420IUVitamin C 32.73mgCalcium 64.7mgIron 1.7mg

Common Questions

Why do I need to rest the chicken in the hot water?⌄

Resting it off the heat lets the chicken finish cooking gently through carryover heat, which keeps it moist. Pulling it straight out of a rolling simmer tends to leave it dry and stringy.

Can I make the components ahead of time?⌄

Yes, keep the chicken, pickled vegetables, cabbage, and dressing separate in the fridge for up to 2 days, then toss everything together with the peanuts and fried shallots right before serving.

What can I use instead of makrut lime leaves?⌄

A strip of lime zest works well as a substitute if you can't find them. It won't have quite the same distinct aroma, but it'll still bring a good citrus note to the dressing.

Can I use a different protein instead of chicken?⌄

Yes, poached or grilled prawns work really well in place of the chicken, or leave it out entirely for a lighter vegetarian version — the pickled vegetables and dressing carry plenty of flavour on their own.

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10 thoughts on “Vietnamese Chicken Salad”

Dupleix
November 22, 2021 at 3:11 pm

This one is a just one fine appetiser !

Reply
1. Jack
  November 22, 2021 at 9:45 pm
  
  Most definitely!
  
  Reply
Dan
December 2, 2021 at 3:43 pm

This is a winner Jack. Have made it a couple of times and the flavours work so well together. Delicious.

Reply
1. Jack
  December 3, 2021 at 10:05 pm
  
  Awesome, Dan. Great to hear you’ve been enjoying it.
  
  Reply
Suzette
April 1, 2022 at 5:47 am

Delicious! I absolutely LOVE Thai cuisine 🙂 I used thighs instead, not a breast fan lol. I prepped extra salad, pickle and dressing for future meals, but will using your Vietnamese crispy wing recipe for the protein. But, I will be using wildcaught cod! Cant wait for that 🙂

Thanks again for such delicious content!

Reply
1. Chef Jack Ovens
  April 2, 2022 at 12:32 pm
  
  Thank you so much, Suzette. Glad you enjoyed the recipe. The best thing about this is that there can be plenty of leftovers. The chicken wings would be incredible through this and you’ve given me an incredible idea! Thank you.
  
  Reply
Chris Beasley
April 15, 2022 at 3:15 am

Extremely delicious dish! Love all the flavours, textures and variety.
Note: I more than halved the sugar total and used cashews instead of peanuts.

Reply
1. Chef Jack Ovens
  April 19, 2022 at 1:50 pm
  
  Thank you, Chris! Glad you enjoyed it and adjusted it to your liking.
  
  Reply
Denise Sweeney
September 11, 2024 at 7:00 pm

I loved this recipe, I fried the chicken instead of poaching and only had cashews so fried them in the same pan as the chicken. Delicious!

Reply
1. Chef Jack Ovens
  November 3, 2025 at 12:36 pm
  
  Very nice! Glad you enjoyed the recipe
  
  Reply

5 from 4 votes

Vietnamese Chicken Salad

Vietnamese Chicken Salad

Fresh, crunchy, and packed with flavour