How to Make Vietnamese Chicken and Cabbage Salad
By using both purple and white cabbage and a perfectly balanced sweet and sour fish sauce dressing, this Chicken and Cabbage Salad recipe will surely impress your family.
Ingredients
- 400g chicken
- 300g white cabbage
- 50g purple cabbage
- 1/2 carrot
- 4-5 shallots
- 1 bunch Vietnamese coriander
- Coarse salt
- 2 stalks lemongrass
- 1 piece of ginger
- 2-3 lime leaves
- Fish sauce
- Sugar
- Vinegar
- 1 lime
- 2 chili peppers
- 4-5 garlic cloves
- Coarse salt
Ingredient Notes
To make this salad, you can use either chicken breast or thigh meat. Chicken breast is nutritious and easy to shred but can be a bit dry, while thigh meat is more tender and flavorful.
You can add onions if you want to diversify the ingredients. However, if you want to focus on the cabbage flavors, you can skip the onions.
Instructions
Prepare the Chicken
Rub the chicken with coarse salt to clean it, then rinse and let it drain.
Fill a pot with water, about halfway to the steamer insert. Bring the water to a boil, then place the chicken in the steamer along with smashed lemongrass and sliced ginger. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover, and steam the chicken for about 15 minutes until cooked through.
If using chicken breast, steam for about 12 minutes. For thighs, steam for 17-20 minutes.
Once cooked, transfer the chicken to a plate to cool before shredding. To enhance the flavor, season the shredded chicken with 1 teaspoon of fish sauce and a pinch of ground pepper. Mix in thinly sliced lime leaves for added fragrance.
Prepare the Cabbage and Other Ingredients
Peel off the outer leaves of the white cabbage and slice it thinly. Do the same with the purple cabbage. Place both cabbages in a bowl of water, add a pinch of coarse salt, and soak for about 3 minutes to clean and remove any bitterness.
Since purple cabbage can bleed color, you may want to soak the two types of cabbage separately.
Drain the cabbage well and set aside.
Peel and julienne the carrot.
Pick the leaves and tender tops of the Vietnamese coriander, wash them in salted water, and let them drain.
Peel and thinly slice the shallots.
Make the Dressing for the Chicken and Cabbage Salad
For the given ingredients, prepare the dressing by mixing 4 tablespoons of fish sauce, 11 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of lime juice, 8 tablespoons of vinegar, and 1/2 tablespoon of coarse salt. Stir well until the sugar and salt dissolve, then add minced garlic and chili peppers.
Feel free to adjust the amount of sugar and lime juice to suit your taste.
Mix the Chicken and Cabbage Salad
Place the cabbage, carrot, shallots, and shredded chicken in a large bowl. Drizzle two-thirds of the dressing over the salad and gently toss to combine. Let the ingredients absorb the dressing for 2-3 minutes, then drain off most of the excess liquid.
Next, add two-thirds of the Vietnamese coriander, pour the remaining dressing over the salad, and toss gently. Drain off any excess liquid again, and then transfer the salad to a serving plate. Top with the remaining Vietnamese coriander. If you have roasted peanuts, sprinkle some on top to enhance the flavor of the salad.
Final Product Requirements
The chicken and cabbage salad is visually appealing with a colorful mix of white, purple, orange, and green. The cabbage retains its crispness, while the dish is infused with a perfect balance of sour, spicy, salty, and sweet flavors. The chicken is tender and flavorful, as it has been cooked just right.
This chicken and cabbage salad isn’t difficult to make, though the ingredient preparation can be a bit time-consuming. However, the final result is definitely worth the effort. With the dressing recipe from Cookbeo, you'll be delighted by the perfect harmony of flavors in this salad.
