Vietnamese Chicken Salad (Goi Ga)

Serves: 4 – 6

One of my favorite meals in Waikiki was a Vietnamese Chicken Salad. We found this incredible dish in a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant around the corner from the hotel we I stayed in. I’ve been craving this ever since, so I was especially excited to visit a local Vietnamese restaurant in Chicago recently. What a disappointment! The flavors were totally off not to mention the mess of a bone-in, skin on, boiled chicken they threw on top. Needless to say, I didn’t eat much of it. So with cravings in tact, I set out to replicate the spectacular salad served to me in Oahu. After much research and a few tries, I present to you my version of Goi Ga! It’s not exactly traditional but all the flavors are there and I think the roast chicken adds a little something extra. Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

• 1 small nappa cabbage (about 1 1/2 lb)
• 1 bunch of basil
• ½ cup of mint leaves
• ½ cup of cilantro leaves
• 1 small red onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 small red bell pepper
• ¼ cup roasted peanuts
• 1 1/2 lb of boneless skinless chicken (breast or thigh)
• 3 tbsp of light brown sugar
• 3 tbsp of lime juice
• 4 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tsp freshly grated ginger
• 2 cloves of garlic

Prep It:

• Grate the garlic and ginger.
• Pound the chicken or butterfly to ¼ inch in thickness. In a gallon size, resealable bag, add the chicken and 1 tbsp each of garlic, ginger and fish sauce. Seal the bag and massage to combine all the ingredients. Place in the fridge and marinate for 20 minutes
• Preheat the oven to 375F.
• Cut the carrots and bell pepper into match sticks.
• Slice the onion into thin strips.
• Cut the cabbage into thin (1/8 inch) strips and roughly chop the herbs.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, ginger and garlic. Place in the fridge to chill.
  • Note: This dressing can be covered and kept for up to 1 month in the fridge.
  • Lightly crush the peanuts and reserve for dressing.

Cook It:

• Place the marinated chicken on a baking sheet and roast for 20 – 25 minutes or until it’s cooked through. Cool for 5 minutes.
• While the chicken cools, combine the cabbage, herbs, onion, pepper and carrot in a very large bowl.
• Shred the chicken and add to the bowl with the cabbage. Add the dressing and toss to combine all the ingredients.

Serve It:

• Top with a bit of peanuts and a bit of cilantro. A sprinkling of fried onions or shallots is also traditional.
• Serve immediately!
• Regular cabbage is traditional so if you can’t find Nappa Cabbage use regular cabbage.
• The traditional way to prepare the chicken is steamed or boiled. If you don’t have time or resources to marinate and roast the chicken then just toss it in a pot with 6 cups of water and boil the bird! Then shred it and use as directed.